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Comparison of machine sound power levels measured by manufacturers and corresponding EC plate values for various types and powers of plant equipment
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This paper examines the various source data commonly used for the prediction of construction site noise immissions, i.e. the total amount of noise from all contributing sources at a given position. A series of analyses are presented of the noise emission data from over 400 measurements of various powers and types of construction and open site plant...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... sound power levels or EC plate values A problem with using EC plate values is that frequently manufacturers tend to be cautious in providing these values and may even quote the permissible level as the plate level even though they have measured lower levels. Figure 4 compares the sound power levels measured by one manufacturer for various plant items using the ISO6395 test methodology with the EC plate values for these machines. The difference in sound power levels between measurement and plate values illustrates the range of variation that exists, thus demonstrating the uncertainty which would be introduced to a sound level prediction were the EC plate values in use today to be the only sound power data available. ...
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Citations
... The prediction of environmental noise arising from an open site activities such as construction represents a problem when a number of different processes are carried out at different times in the course of the working day. These typically involve the use of powerful machines that have correspondingly high sound power levels 1 . The nature of the sources, coupled with the limited opportunities for the screening of neighbouring sensitive locations from the noise generated, means that complaints often arise from such activities. ...
... Furthermore, with numerous complaints regarding construction noise being lodged with local authorities, accurate noise prediction methods are crucial in reducing the amount of noise produced by construction works. [18]. The simple prediction charts method was devised by Haron et al. and later researched by Han to improve the accuracy of noise predictions [15,17]. ...
Construction activity has long been associated with health problems caused by excessive noise exposure from the high noise emission machines. Indeed, predicting noise levels during the planning stages of a construction project can be challenging, particularly when considering complex and dynamic noise sources. This study aims to determine the accuracy and reliability of the simple prediction charts method in predicting construction noise. A case study of piling activity had been conducted at a construction site in Klang valley, Malaysia. The results showed that the average predicted noise levels were slightly higher than the actual measurements, but the highest absolute difference was only 0.9 dBA. The simple prediction charts can approximate the sound pressure level with high reliability with R² values of 0.9959. These results show that the simple prediction charts can accurately and reliably predict construction noise levels, providing a useful tool for predicting the noise levels from earthmoving machines at any point of the construction site. With the help of these charts, construction noise practitioners can more easily anticipate and manage potential noise issues.
... According to Ballesteros et al. (2010), excavation is the noisiest stage, mainly due to noise from engines of machinery and the peak levels caused by hoe loading. Several studies have attempted to identify noise emission levels from construction site sources (Thalheimer, 2000;Waddington et al., 2000;Fang et al., 2009). However, it is difficult to estimate the environmental impacts of noise due to size of the project, complex interactions between noise levels, types of construction equipment used, distance from the noise source, and duration of the construction stage (Hamoda, 2008). ...
... Meanwhile in the UK, recent sound level measurements of construction equipment and activities conducted by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK (DEFRA, 2005) are found in the new version of BS5228 (BS, 2009). In some studies, such as those by Jafferson (1997) and Waddington et al. (2000), it was found that data in a previous version of BS5228 (BS, 1984) exceeded the values measured at the actual location and thus led to a noise level that is expected to be conservative. On the other hand, it was found that emission data in BS5228:1997(BS, 1997 can be used with the same confidence as the measured data (Waddington et al., 2000). ...
... In some studies, such as those by Jafferson (1997) and Waddington et al. (2000), it was found that data in a previous version of BS5228 (BS, 1984) exceeded the values measured at the actual location and thus led to a noise level that is expected to be conservative. On the other hand, it was found that emission data in BS5228:1997(BS, 1997 can be used with the same confidence as the measured data (Waddington et al., 2000). Moreover, Gilchrist, Allouche, and Cowan (2003) reported that there are some differences between predicted and actual noise from sites that have the same characteristics because data for factors such as equipment are more conservative than the actual output of the equipment on site. ...
... Some excavators with low NIP produce significantly higher emission levels than those with higher NIP and vice versa. This was also reported by Waddington et al. (2000). Fifty percent of the variability in noise emission level is related to NIP (multiple R = 0.707, R 2 = 0.50) while only 13% of the variability in noise emission levels of compactors is related to NIP (R = 0.129 and R 2 = 0.017). ...
Noise emission levels from construction equipment are an important factor in the determination of the level of noise exposure of construction workers and the neighbourhood. This paper presents: (1) an investigation of the noise emission levels generated from typical earthwork construction equipment, that is, excavators and compactors; (2) a comparison between the noise emission level obtained from local equipment and the noise emission level given by the United Kingdom standard BS5228:2009. Noise emission levels of 50 excavators and 25 compactors with various power levels and ages were obtained from on-site measurements. About 74% and 48% of the excavators measured in this study were shown to have noise emission levels below the limits specified by the Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia and European Directive 2005/88/EC respectively, while 52% of compactors achieved levels below the EC limits. There is also a strong relationship between the mean sound pressure level and the age factor but an insignificant relationship with increases in net installed power. A comparison of measured data with BS5228 data indicated that statistically only new data in BS5228:2009 have insignificant differences from measured data. With these results new data in BS5228:2009 can be used with confidence by environmental impact assessment (EIA) practitioners during the prediction of noise at the planning stage.
... In general, construction activities generate excessive noise pollution and can be very disturbing when these activities are very close to sensitive areas. This is coupled with noise fluctuations [1] due to changes in the modes of the machines' working [2,3] and high noise emissions from the equipment used [2,4,5]. As a result, all stages of construction yield noise ___________ pollution although to varying levels [6], with the work on substructures (excavation) being the noisiest stage, while others such as the framework and walls, brickwork, services and roof are in the range of the same noise emission level [7]. ...
Prediction of noise pollution from construction site plays an important role in planning and construction management. However, engineers may have difficulty in making predictions at the planning stage because the acoustic characteristics and location of the source are not precisely known, and many assumptions have to be made. This study focuses on the development of chart predictions based on stochastic modelling, so that the data available at the planning stage can be used to produce a set of noise levels along with standard deviations. The study compares the noise predictions using the chart with the results of measurement, and simulation. Two simple charts in the form of deviations from the mean noise level versus the ratio r/w, and standard deviation versus the ratio r/w, were established based on analysis using stochastic models developed by considering systematic changes in the site parameters. The charts were applied to predict construction noise in a physical case of substructure work. The noise levels predicted using the design charts are slightly higher, by 3 dB(A) and 1 dB(A), than the results obtained using measurement and simulation, respectively. Based on these results, the charts can be used to manually approximate construction noise at the planning stage with reasonable accuracy. The advantages of charts are that the level of noise at various locations of the receiver can be determined manually and quickly using various sound power levels of equipment that may actually be employed in the construction process.
As the construction industry undergoes a continuous change and
rapid improvement in Malaysia, the management of construction
work becomes tougher and more challenging. Projects are
becoming much more complex and difficult. Consultants are
facing unprecedented changes, exemplified by changes in
commercial practices, new technology, a shift in social attitudes,
and of foremost importance clients who are now much more
sophisticated and knowledgeable are placing the emphasis more
than ever on tight completion dates and higher quality standards
The statistics of accidents occurred in the construction industry indicate that the accident rate in our construction industry is still high. If we compare those rate with that of the developed nations
there are still big task ahead to get to the right figure. The statistics discussed is to give us a clear picture that Malaysian construction industry is one of the critical sectors that need a huge and fast 121 Issues in Construction Industry overhaul from the current site safety practices.
This paper describes an alternative method of predicting noise from construction sites using a probability approach. The basis of the approach is the separation of the source characteristics from the propagation characteristics. A site area is divided into a number of square patches in which the source can be located at the centre of any patch or node. The approach assumes that the probability that the noise source of certain acoustic power is at a particular node is the same as for all other nodes. The noise level from each patch is obtained and the temporal noise level distribution during the working day period can be constructed. LAeq accompanied with standard deviation and noise indices during a working day period can be estimated. The effect of the duty cycle of equipment and number of items of equipment were incorporated in the approach. When validated with the current procedure, the model LAeq value has good agreement with those obtained from BS 5228, and thus indicates that the probability approach is capable of predicting the equivalent noise level. The method could be used as the basis of an operational management tool for a noise abatement scheme.
