Abstract
Prolonged, repeated or very intense noise exposure can damage human health. To reduce any dangerous effects of noise on human health, policies and restrictions are enshrined in national law and legislative regulations. In the Czech Republic, this issue is subject to the Ministry of Health. In other states it can be the Ministry of Health or more often the Ministry of the Environment. The protection of human health against noise and vibration is enshrined in Act No. 258/2000 Coll., on Protection of Public Health, specifically in şş 30-34 of this Act. Other restrictions are described in Act No. 309/2006 Coll., which regulates other requirements for safety and health protection at work in labour relations and on ensuring safety and health protection in activities or the provision of services outside of labour relations. Furthermore, hygienic limits for workplaces, protected indoor areas of buildings and protected outdoor areas are set in the new Regulation of the Government of the Czech Republic, No. 272/2011 Coll. as amended. This Regulation also sets limits for construction noise. They set limitations in so-called outdoor protected areas and the so-called outdoor protected areas of buildings. The hygienic limit of the equivalent sound pressure level A for noise from construction activities is set here by adding a correction of 5dB or 15dB according to the type of protected space to the basic value of the equivalent sound pressure level A 50dB. This limit must be adhered to. For buildings nearby, the term „protected facades“ is used, i.e. „protected façades“ include the nearest buildings that are inhabited and their occupants could be exposed to noise for a long period of time. We can measure the intensity of noise in these places if we have a "sound level meter". Predicting the intensity of noise and its longevity for future construction is more challenging. The computational evaluation of the noise load of the outdoor area of the monitored territory is based on the recommended theoretical acoustic relations for the transmission of sound from stationary noise sources according to ČSN ISO 9613/1-2. One of the possibilities of calculating the intensity of noise is the application of software programmes used for determining traffic noise, which, in contrast to construction noise, is handled very carefully and predicted in detail during the construction of transport infrastructure. Because here are the values and methodologies for the calculation of noise indicators set correctly and in detail, it is possible to use them also, provided that we work well with the background and input data. The calculation indicators are the values of the equivalent sound pressure level falling in front of the façade, on which we determine various measuring points. If the noise sources and acoustically significant elements are entered correctly, we obtain both correct values and also the possibility of displaying a map of the area with colour isophone bands, which expresses the level of noise in the construction site and its surroundings.
Assessment of Environmental Noise in Cities: A Theoretical Approach
