RENZO TONIN

& ASSOCIATES PTY LTD

Consultants in Acoustics,Vibration and Structural Dynamics

:technical note
Either way, it is now common for a contractor's obligations to include and not be limited to:

MANAGING NOISE & VIBRATION ON CONSTRUCTION SITES

The levels of noise and vibration generated by construction depend on the activities being carried out. If the noise or vibration emanating from a site are too high in level then people residing or working near the site may become annoyed and take action to restrict and even curtail activities on site, especially if it can be shown that noise or vibration levels exceed acceptable limits as set by relevant standards and regulations. Such community action can have crippling effects on project budgets. It is therefore in the best interest of project managers and construction contractors, to ensure that they are fully aware of all relevant noise and vibration issues, regulations and site specific conditions before submitting tenders and subsequently accepting construction work. Here we outline the key noise and vibration issues that contractors should be aware of, outlining typical emission levels and relevant limits set by regulations, codes and standards. Most importantly we also look at noise control and management techniques to mitigate noise and reduce annoyance to the community. Furthermore, noise from construction activities can cause hearing impairment for people working on site, so this issue is also touched on.

Construction activity tends to generate noise and vibration which often interfere with people's amenity. Can we have one without the other?

preparation of a Construction Management Plan that specifies noise and vibration limits applicable to the project, how compliance will be achieved, and a procedure for recording and dealing with complaints should these occur;

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restriction of construction to within approved hours; undertaking regular noise and vibration monitoring, to ensure compliance with the set noise and vibration limits;

notifying the surrounding community via letter drops and/or local media announcements of any forthcoming unusual construction activities;

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engaging community consultation; maintaining regular communications between all stake-holders; providing a complaints phone number for complaints to be phoned in; and providing all necessary noise and vibration mitigation measures to minimise annoyance to the surrounding community.

WHAT CRITERIA?
Noise and vibration levels generated from construction are set by regulatory authorities such as NSW's Environment Protection Authority (EPA), or the equivalent environment authority in other states, and local councils. Often, local councils rely on the acoustic expertise of their state's environmental authority for guidelines to assess construction noise and vibration emissions.

CONTRACTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY
At a project's planning stage, a construction noise and vibration impact statement must often be prepared and submitted to the relevant consent authority for approval. At this early stage, it is often not known who the successful earthworks and civil works contractors will be, let alone what items of plant and construction methods shall be used on site. Therefore, any impact statement prepared at the planning or approval stage of a project is often only cursory with minimal detail. The onus is put on the construction contractor to ensure compliance with the set noise and vibration limits. The contractor is then contractually bound to comply with all relevant codes, regulations and standards. Some requirements are obvious as they are set out in the project's conditions of consent issued by the relevant consent authority, while others are less obvious as they are embedded in a standard or code that is only briefly referred to in a contract.

Noise Criteria
Construction noise is measured objectively using a sound level meter. This instrument has been specifically developed to mimic the operation of the human ear. The human ear responds to minute pressure variations in the air. These pressure variations are converted into units of decibels (dB), and typically measured on a sound level meter in terms of either "dB(linear)" or "dB(A)" units. "dB(linear)" provides a flat measure of noise amplitude, whereas "dB(A)" provides a weighting to reflect the frequency response of the human ear. This is necessary because the human ear is less sensitive to low frequency (low pitch) noise than to high frequency (high pitch) noise. Noise levels from construction sites are generally assessed by comparing them to the background noise of an area. This background noise level is defined as the level
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Each locality also has its own limits on the days of the week and hours in which construction noise is allowed. Where it is necessary for construction works to be undertaken outside the preferred construction hours, the L
10

noise level emitted by the works is normally

restricted to a margin not greater than 5dB(A) above the background noise level of that period. Furthermore, to minimise the risk of sleep disturbance during any night-time construction, the NSW EPA, for example, requires that maximum
The noise generated from the slow, intermittent strike of a drop hammer in pile driving must be considered differently to the continuous noise from many other construction operations.

noise levels Lmax be contained to within a margin of 15dB(A) above the background noise at night outside the most affected bedroom window. This is under review at present as such a criteria is not in-line with recent scientific research in this field. In terms of noise and vibration emissions, demolition, excavation and construction work can be divided into two phases, namely (1) demolition and earth works, and (2) building works. Demolition and excavation works is typically the noisiest of the two phases of any construction. The appropriate noise criterion for the demolition and excavation phase is generally taken as the medium term category of "greater than 4 weeks but less than 26 weeks". That is, the noise emissions from the site must be within 10dB(A) of the daytime background noise level at the most affected residential premises. At commercial premises, a limit of 15-20dB(A) above the background noise level would therefore apply. In Sydney the city council's Code of Practice for Construction Hours/Noise within the Central Business District provides noise criteria which apply to all construction sites within the city's CBD. This code sets out a range of criteria based on categories of daily working hours and not the duration of construction works. Depending on which period in the day work is to be undertaken, the noise emission criteria can vary from "background noise plus 0dB(A)" for night-time periods to "background noise plus 10dB(A)" for some daytime periods. The council's code also includes a schedule of allowable noise levels for various construction plant items. The contractor is required to conduct noise tests 7 metres from each item of plant prior to use on site to ensure compliance with the set noise limits. Some items are identified as being particularly noisy and the council requires Certificates of Acoustic Performance. At times Sydney's council also requires that construction noise does not exceed an overall maximum level of 85dB(A) at any point on the site boundary.

(source: Noise Control Principles and Practice by Bruel & Kjaer)

exceeded for 90% of the time, without construction occurring, and is represented by the symbol L .
90

Therefore, each site and situation often has a different noise limit. The acceptability of a given noise not only depends on its level but also on its character and the character of the background noise in the area. The NSW EPA's "Environmental Noise Control Manual", for example, contains construction noise guidelines. The noise guidelines consider the L
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noise level, which is the noise level exceeded for 10% of the time, from construction activities and compares this to the background noise level at the most affected noise receiver. Impulsive and intermittent noise events, such as piling however, often do not register on the standard L
10

noise level scale because a slow strike rate for

example generates noise for less than 10% of the measurement time. Therefore to protect the neighboring amenity, a noise limit based on the average maximum noise level from this type of event, denoted by the L is often used. EPA guidelines recognise that for construction, higher levels of noise than would apply to long-term operations are likely to be tolerable to receptors in view of the relatively short duration of construction periods. In NSW, EPA guidelines provide three categories of noise assessment criteria depending on the period of noise exposure. These are:
avmax

noise metric,

Short-term : 4 weeks or less. The level of construction noise should not exceed the background noise level by more than 20dB(A).

Medium-term : greater than 4 weeks but less than 26 weeks. The level of construction noise should not exceed the background noise level by more than 10dB(A).

Long-term : greater than 26 weeks. The level of construction noise should not exceed the background noise level by more than 5dB(A).

VIBRATION CRITERIA
The effects of ground vibration on buildings near construction sites may be broadly defined by the following three categories:

For commercial premises, noise limits can generally be relaxed by 5-10dB(A).

1. Disturbance to building occupants: vibration in which the occupants or users of buildings are inconvenienced or disturbed; 2. Effects on building contents: vibration where building contents may be affected; and, 3. Effects on building structures: vibration in which the integrity of a building or structure itself may be prejudiced. In general, vibration criteria for human disturbance (1) are more stringent than vibration criteria for effects on building contents (2) and building structural damage (3). Hence, compliance with the more stringent limits dictated by category 1, would ensure that compliance is also achieved for the other two categories. This is because people are able to feel vibration at levels lower than those required to cause superficial damage to susceptible classes of buildings.

Continuous vibration is vibration that is present at a reasonably steady level for long periods of time, for example vibration from vibratory rollers and compactors, tunnel boring machines or roadheaders. Intermittent or impulsive vibration results from sources such as rock breaking, piling or blasting. Continuous vibration limits are generally more stringent than intermittent / impulsive vibration limits.
Table 1 - NSW EPA Vibration Limits to Protect Human Comfort (rms)

Place
Residential

Time
Day Night

Continuous
0.2mm/s 0.14mm/s 0.4mm/s 0.4mm/s 0.8mm/s 0.8mm/s

Intermittent or Impulsive
6.0mm/s 2.0mm/s 12.7mm/s 12.7mm/s 12.7mm/s 12.7mm/s

Offices

Day Night

Workshops

Day Night

Normally vibration-generating activities are restricted to within normal construction hours if vibration levels exceed the "continuous" vibration limits. That is, if vibration is not perceivable or within "continuous" vibration limits, then no time restriction would normally apply. Based on the NSW EPA's guidelines, Table 1 presents vibration limits (velocity limits in any onethird octave band frequency between 8Hz and 80Hz which is the frequency range of interest for construction) determined for normal construction activities to protect human comfort. Furthermore, British Standard BS 6472 also provides guidance on potential vibration disturbance to occupants or users of a building. BS 6472 also contains a method to calculate vibration dose information. This allows intermittent vibration to be appropriately assessed. All of the human comfort limits described above are based on minimising annoyance. These vibration levels are well below the levels required for the prevention of structural damage to buildings and are therefore considered suitable for use in general assessments.

Human comfort
The NSW EPA, for example, sets vibration level limits based on Australian Standard AS 2670.2 Evaluation of human exposure to whole body vibration - Continuous and shock induced vibration in buildings. It states that for human comfort, vibration from activities such as construction work shall not exceed a prescribed curve of vibration limits expressed in terms of velocity units over a range of frequencies. The set levels aim to protect human comfort. Vibration is assessed in terms of "continuous" or "intermittent / impulsive" vibration criteria.

Structural damage to buildings

Currently there exists no Australian Standard for assessment of building damage caused by vibrational energy. However, as a guide, the German standard DIN 4150 - Part 3 Structural vibration in buildings - Effects on Structures provides recommended maximum levels of vibration that reduce the likelihood of building damage caused by vibration. This standard presents recommended maximum limits over a range of frequencies measured in any direction at the foundation or in the plane of the uppermost floor of a building. The minimum 'safe limit' of rms vibration at low
Acoustics screens are quite effective in reducing construction noise to acceptable levels.

frequencies for commercial and industrial buildings is 20mm/s. For dwellings it is 5mm/s and for particularly sensitive structures (eg historical with preservation

(source: Share Noise, WorkCare, Department of Labour, Victoria)

orders etc), it is 3mm/s. These limits increase as the frequency content of the vibration increases. The levels set by this standard are "safe limits" up to which no damage due to vibration effects has been observed for particular classes of buildings. Damage is defined as minor non-structural effects such as cracking in cement render, enlargement of existing cracks and separation of partitions or intermediate walls from load bearing walls. British Standard BS7385: Part 2 Evaluation and measurement of vibration in buildings also sets standards against which the likelihood of building damage from ground vibration can be assessed. This standard considers demolition, piling, ground compaction, tunnelling, blasting and general construction plant. The peak vibration limits set for minimal risk of cosmetic damage are: 15mm/s for residential or light commercial buildings (increasing as the frequency content of the vibration increases) and 50mm/s for industrial and heavy commercial buildings.
Hydraulic hammers and breakers are at the noisy end of the scale for construction equipment

(source: Atlas Copco)

during the evening and night-time period, and not during daytime. Therefore, although regenerated noise may occur from time to time due to construction works, it is the intrusion of airborne noise that is likely to dominate the overall perceived noise indoors. During daytime, therefore only tactile vibration limits would apply in accordance with established human comfort criteria. To adequately limit regenerated noise inside residences during the evening and night, guidance is obtained from noise levels recommended in AS 2107 Acoustics - Recommended Design Sound Levels and Reverberation Times for Building Interiors. AS2107 refers to steady ambient noise in rooms. Noise levels from short-term construction however, may exceed the recommended levels without causing disturbance, provided the margins above the steady ambient noise levels are not excessive. Suitable night-time structure-borne noise criteria for residential receivers are therefore 35-40 dB(A) for bedrooms and 40-45 dB(A) for general living areas. Construction noise at these levels would likely be audible to some residents, but would not normally result in a high acoustical impact, given the relatively short-term nature of construction activities. These limits would only apply during night-time when background noise is least and people's repose is potentially affected. During daytime, only tactile vibration limits would apply in accordance with human comfort criteria.

Regenerated noise
Regenerated noise, also termed structure-borne noise, can occur inside residences as a result of a building structure being excited by vibration transferred to it via the ground. This is normally only considered and assessed

Plant Item

Plant Description

Noise Levels at 7m distance

Range Typical (mid-point) 93 95 91 90 93 87 91 90 88 88 88 88 88 88 85 85 87 83 82 84 84 80 80 82 81 79 81 78 80 78 73 70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Piling Rock Breaker Machine Mounted Pneumatic Drill Jack Hammers Concrete Saw Bulldozer Machine Mounted Percussive Drill Concrete Leveller Mobile Crane Scraper Front End Loader Machine Mounted Hydraulic Drill Pneumatic Hand Tools (general) Compactor Tracked Excavator Graders Pavement Laying Machine Dump Trucks Rollers Vibratory Roller Concrete Truck Welders Concrete Pump Water Cart Truck (> 20 tonne) Blackhoe Asphalt Truck Power Generator Cherry Picker Concrete Vibrator Silenced Air Compressor Spreader

80 - 105 90 - 100 85 - 96 85 - 95 93 80 - 93 91 90 85 - 90 85 - 90 85 - 90 85 - 90 85 - 90 85 - 90 80 - 90 80 - 90 85 - 89 77 - 88 75 - 88 83 - 85 83 - 85 75 - 85 75 - 84 81 - 83 78 - 83 75 - 83 81 75 - 81 80 76 - 80 65 - 80 70

HOW LOUD ARE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES?

Table 2 lists typical plant and equipment used by contractors on construction sites. It also includes typical noise levels measured at a distance of 7 metres from each plant item, based on levels given in Australian Standard AS2436 Guide to Noise Control on Construction, Maintenance and Demolition Sites.
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To estimate the noise level of an item of plant operating at a distance greater than 7 metres, noise levels can be approximated by subtracting 6dB(A) from the noise levels presented in Table 2 above every time the distance is doubled. For example the noise from a concrete saw would be 87dB(A) at 14m, 81dB(A) at 28m and 75dB(A) at 56m. This approximation assumes an open area and direct line of sight between the construction plant and the noise receiver without any noise influences from acoustic reflections from surrounding buildings or structures.

VIBRATION FROM CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

The relationship between vibration and the probability of causing human annoyance or damage to structures, is complex. This complexity is mostly due to the magnitude of the vibration source, the ground conditions between the source and receiver, the foundation-to-footing interaction and the large range of structures that exist in terms of design (eg: dimensions, materials, type and quality of construction and footing conditions). The intensity, duration, frequency content and number of occurrences of a vibration, all play an important role in both the annoyance caused and the strains induced in structures. As the pattern of vibration radiation is very different to the pattern of airborne noise radiation, and is very site specific, below are some indicative minimum buffer distances (based on some recent projects) used to avoid human discomfort during daytime:
Typical sound insulation for compressor

(source: Control Principles and Practice, by Bruel Kjaer)

NOISE AND VIBRATION CONTROL Engineered noise controls

Implementation of noise control measures, such as those suggested in Australian Standard AS2436 Guide to Noise Control on Construction, Maintenance and Demolition Sites, can significantly reduce construction noise. AS 2436 suggests possible remedies and alternatives to reduce noise from typical construction plant and presents typical examples of noise reductions achievable after treatment of various noise sources. Table 3 below presents general noise control methods, practical examples and expected noise reductions according to AS2436 and according to Renzo Tonin & Associates' opinion based on experience with past projects. Table 4 below identifies possible noise control measures that are applicable to some typical construction plant. To ensure efficient noise attenuation performance is achieved using any of the methods listed above, it is recommended that acoustic engineers are consulted to carry out preliminary testing prior to commencement of works.

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Rockbreaker - small Rockbreaker - medium Rockbreaker large Pulverisor 30 tonne Bulldozers Road header Vibratory rollers - light Vibratory rollers - medium Vibratory rollers - heavy Truck movements Sheet piling

5m 7m 15m 4m 5m 5m 5m 12m 25m 10m 50m

For each project and site, buffer distances to neighboring premises should be determined and maintained in order to comply with relevant vibration limits for each site.

Noise Control Method

Screening

Practicle Examples
Acoustics Barriers such as earth mounds, temporary or permanent noise barriers

Typical noise reduction possible in practice

5 to 10

Typical noise reduction possible in practice

15

Acoustics Enclosures

Engine casing lagged with acoustic insulation and plywood

10 to 20

30

Engine Silencing Substitution by alternative process

Residential class mufflers Use electric motors in preference to diesel or petrol

5 to 10 15 to 20

20 40

Vibration controls
The following construction vibration control measures can be implemented to minimise vibration impact on neighbouring occupancies and to meet human comfort vibration limits:

Good relations with people living and working in the vicinity of a construction site should be established at the beginning of a project and be maintained throughout the project. Keeping people informed of progress and taking complaints seriously and dealing with them expeditiously goes a long way in practice. The person selected to liaise with the community should be adequately trained and experienced in such matters, as handling things wrongly can sometimes have detrimental effects on a project.

A vibration management plan should be Implemented to avoid adverse vibration disturbance to occupancies;

Vibration testing of equipment on site should be carried out to determine acceptable buffer distances to commercial and residential occupancies;

Where vibration is found to be excessive, management measures may include modification of construction methods such as using smaller rock breakers, utilisation of hand rather than machine methods when working near sensitive locations, establishment of safe buffer zones and if necessary, time restrictions for the most excessive vibration activities. Time restrictions would need to be negotiated with affected receivers;

NOISE INDUCED HEARING LOSS Legal noise exposure limits

The Occupational Health & Safety Act, 1983 No.20 places a general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all of their employees, and this includes hearing conservation. In addition to providing training, there is a duty to maintain plant and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health. The National Standard for Occupational Noise [NOHSC:1007(1993)] produced by Worksafe Australia sets an 8-hour equivalent noise level (L
Aeq,8hr

Additional vibration monitoring should be conducted when construction activities are at the nearest point to the nominated occupancies. This monitoring may signal to the contractor, by way of a buzzer or flashing light, when levels approach / exceed the recommended limits in nearby occupancies; and

) limit of 85dB(A) and a peak noise exposure

level limit of 140dB(linear). The 8-hour equivalent noise level (L

Aeq,8hr

) is the

Before, during and after the construction stages it is advisable that a dilapidation report is undertaken to assess the state of buildings sharing the site boundary.

energy average noise level during the measurement period normalised to an 8 hour working day. Furthermore, it is also important that AS/NZS 12691998 Occupational Noise Management be referred to and followed in order to avoid potential workers compensation claims and law suits instigatable by their employees.

Noise and vibration management measures

In addition to physical noise controls, the following general noise management measures should be followed:

Noise protection for construction workers

Noise in excess of the noise limits described above can have a serious effect on workers, causing them permanent and irreparable damage to their hearing. Limiting the exposure to ensure that it does not exceed the maximum allowable noise limits can reduce the risk. The use of plant and power tools on construction sites can create areas of potential noise hazard. These areas should be identified and notices should be displayed advising of the requirement for hearing protectors in a particular area, when using a particular machine or if within given distances. Effective noise controls, such as enclosures and screens applied at the noisy machinery should always be preferred over the use of earmuffs and earplugs worn by workers. The application of noise controls on a noise source will provide benefits to both the construction worker and the neighbors.

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Plant and equipment should be properly maintained; Provide special attention to the use and maintenance of 'noise control' or 'silencing' kits fitted to machines to ensure they perform as intended;

Strategically position plant on site to reduce the emission of noise to the surrounding neighborhood and to site personnel;

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Avoid any unnecessary noise when carrying out manual operations and when operating plant; Any equipment not in use for extended periods during construction work should be switched off;

In addition to the noise mitigation measures outlined above, a management procedure would need to be put in place to deal with noise complaints that may arise from construction activities. Each complaint would need to be investigated and appropriate noise amelioration measures put in place to mitigate future occurrences, where the noise in question is in excess of allowable limits.

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