Noise measurements at the workplace
Noise measurement may be required when performing the risk assessment in case of noise effects. The reason for this is that sounds and noise in the workplace are hazardous. Therefore, in the context of noise measurements, this physical quantity must be recorded as a numerical value.
Noise measurement in companies
The Ordinance on Noise and Vibration Measurements at the Workplace prescribes the following: “When assessing working conditions in accordance with Section 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employer must first determine whether employees are or could be exposed to noise or vibration. To do this, he must determine and assess the exposures occurring at the workplace.”
The employer may obtain the necessary information from the manufacturer or distributor of the work equipment or from other readily available sources. If compliance with the trigger and exposure limit values cannot be determined with certainty, he must determine the extent of the exposure by taking measurements in accordance with § 4. Depending on the result of the risk assessment, the employer shall determine protective measures according to the state of the art.
To reduce the measurement effort, groups of employees with the same noise exposure can be formed as part of the work analysis. These can be, for example, groups with similar activities or with stay in an area with similar noise exposure. Indications of corresponding groups are usually provided by the corresponding job titles, job designations or work locations.
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Noise measurement procedure
When planning and carrying out a noise protection measurement, we follow the DGUV Information 209-023 and DIN EN ISO 9612.
Content:
- Analysis of noise sources
- Definition of the number of noise measurement points
- Implementation of the noise measurement
- Preparation of the noise register
- Preparation of the protocol
- Determination of measures, e.g. selection of PPE
Duration:
The duration of the noise measurement depends on the number of measurement points or the size of the operation
This is how we proceed with a noise measurement
Work analysis and choice of measurement strategy
Preliminary discussion with scheduling and agreement on the number of measurement points.
Within the scope of the work analysis, we determine which measurement strategy makes sense to apply. Depending on the chosen measurement strategy, the effort for the work analysis or for the execution of the measurements may be higher.
Practical implementation
On site, the noise measurements are carried out at the respective measuring point. After the measurement, the evaluation takes place.
Presentation of the results
The evaluation of the noise measurement shows whether the noise exposure is within the normal range or above it. If extremely high peak sound pressure levels are present, appropriate measures must be taken. The results are summarized in a protocol and handed over to the customer during a debriefing.
Your specialists for noise measurement
ProSafeCon brings safety to your company. We are your competent partner for occupational health and safety.
We serve companies in various industries. In doing so, we comply with legal regulations such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Occupational Safety Ordinance, the Workplace Ordinance, technical rules and DGUV regulations.
Paul Röhling
Preise für die Lärmmessung
Lärmmessung
- Preliminary discussion with determination of the measurement points
- Carrying out the measurement on site
- Evaluation of the measurement
- Preparation of the noise register
- Preparation of the protocol
- Debriefing of the results
- Travel costs 175,–
All prices are quoted exclusive of VAT.
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Rahel Küffner
Specialist Customer ManagementFAQ – Noise measurement
What are the different measurement strategies for noise measurement?
There are different strategies for measuring noise exposure levels. In ISO standard 9612, the different measurement strategies are presented as alternative methods.
- Activity-based measurements: This method is applicable when the work shift can be divided into several typical activities with similar noise exposure levels. To determine the noise exposure level, the noise exposure must be recorded separately for each individual activity. The noise exposure level can then be calculated from the equivalent continuous sound levels of the individual activities, taking into account the respective time components. The activity-based method has the advantage that relatively short measurement times are usually sufficient for the individual activities.
- Occupation-related measurements: Occupational profile-based noise measurement is a sampling method that can be used to determine the noise exposure for an occupational profile by random measurements over time. This is particularly appropriate for occupational profiles with many different activities or where the work flow is unpredictable. At such workplaces, the determination of the individual activities with their time shares and the metrological recording of the respective noise exposure according to strategy 1 would involve a disproportionately high effort.
Which DIN standards apply to noise exposure at the workplace?
DIN EN ISO 9612 “Acoustics – Determination of noise exposure at the workplace – Accuracy class 2 method (technical method)”, published in September 2009, specifies the procedure for recording the noise exposure of workers at the workplace and for calculating the daily noise exposure level.
What is the procedure for determining the noise exposure level at the workplace?
DIN EN ISO 9612 describes a graduated procedure for determining the noise exposure level at the workplace. The following steps are distinguished:
- Work analysis
- Selection of the measurement strategy
- Carrying out the noise measurements
- Determination of the uncertainty
- Presentation of the results