Noise Monitoring and Analysis must be carefully fit for the purpose of the monitoring. Establishing the time of monitoring and the location of the monitoring are essential in getting the information required to answer the questions that are most important to the client. The most commonly asked question is “Am I within my legal noise limits?” (Another kind of noise monitoring is occupational noise monitoring, but I have less experience with that.)
The assessment of the appropriate noise limits is a complicated endeavour for several reasons:
- Different limits have been established for daytime, evening and nighttime
- It is often impossible or unwise to monitor at the critical neighbour
- Noise sources often change during the monitoring period
Most important is whether the nearest neighbours are bothered by the noise and that is often very subjective. The NSW EPA has established appropriate noise levels for residential, industrial and the urban industrial interface ( NSW EPA Industrial Noise Policy ). The industrial Noise Policy is a practical guide from the EPA’s viewpoint. It provides guidance but is not rigid in it’s requirements, because the EPA understands that noise impacts are highly variable and subject to influences from all around the receiver.
Brickworks Punchbowl Factory Noise Monitoring
Pandrol Noise Assessment
Rouse Hill Infrastructure Project, City West Project, Illawarra Treatment Plants Night-time noise project