12th August 2021
Author: Wakefield Acoustics – Noise Control Specialists | Last Updated: February 2024
We often get asked about how to reduce industrial noise pollution, particularly factory noise as they are often located near residential areas.
Industrial noise can create several challenges for bosses who need to consider industrial noise limits and includes the legal considerations for employers who must protect employees from being exposed to dangerous levels of noise when at work.
However, there are some industrial noise control methods that businesses can implement to reduce noise pollution in factories.
Noise pollution is the presence of unpleasant or disruptive sounds in the surrounding area, such as industrial activities and construction, that can have negative health impacts on both people and wildlife.
At Wakefield Acoustics, we are a leading environmentally focused company, and our solutions protect people, the environment, and industrial equipment. We provide a range of industrial noise control products which can help reduce the noise created in factories in an environmentally friendly way.
Wakefield Acoustics provides a number of industrial noise control products which can help reduce noise pollution created in a factory.
An acoustic enclosure is designed to enclose noisy equipment within a designated room or chamber and are constructed with soundproofing materials that absorb, block or dampen sound waves. There are many benefits of acoustic enclosures in terms of noise pollution.
A rectangular splitter attenuator is used to minimise the noise generated by fans and air regeneration in ventilation and air conditioning systems.
A circular attenuator can be used to reduce duct-born noise from fans and air conditioning systems.
An acoustic louvre can be used to maintain airflow requirements in and out of a noisy factory while reducing the level of air born noise and preventing water from entering.
It’s important to understand precisely where the noise issue is coming from and how to best address it to effectively reduce factory noise.
Our acoustic consultancy services can help you to understand whether your factory is currently meeting current Noise at Work legislation and guidelines, and we can also conduct environmental noise surveys in line with BS4142:2014.
For more information on how we can provide your business with noise control engineering solutions please complete our enquiry form or call us on 01924 418 940.
Employers are required to provide hearing protection and establish hearing protection zones when the noise level reaches 85 dB(A) on a daily or weekly average exposure basis.
Additionally, employers must evaluate the potential health risks to workers and offer them relevant information and training when the noise level reaches 80 dB(A).
It is important to note that there is an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A), considering any reduction in exposure due to hearing protection. Workers should not be exposed to noise levels exceeding this limit.
You can reduce factory noise in residential areas by acoustically enclosing any noisy external plant equipment or by installing acoustic louvres and/or duct-mounted attenuators at points at which inlet/outlet airflow passes through the building envelope.
Ensuring that factory noise does not negatively impact nearby residential areas is very important, not just from a legal standpoint but also in terms of building good relations with the local community.
It’s particularly important to reduce factory noise near residential areas at night when most residents will be disturbed. You should determine if any noisy equipment can be turned off throughout the night and close any roller shutters to prevent noise breakout from the factory.
Absorptive acoustic panelling can be positioned to absorb noise from noisy machinery and help to reduce the reverberant noise.
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