scholarly journals Investigation of Noise Exposure at Furniture Production and Analyzing Noise Levels

Author(s):  
Onur ULKER
Keyword(s):  
1976 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
James T. Yates ◽  
Jerry D. Ramsey ◽  
Jay W. Holland

The purpose of this study was to compare the damage risk of 85 and 90 dBA of white noise for equivalent full-day exposures. The damage risk of the two noise levels was determined by comparing the temporary threshold shift (TTS) of 12 subjects exposed to either 85 or 90 dBA of white noise for equivalent half- and full-day exposures. TTS was determined by comparing the pre- and postexposure binaural audiograms of each subject at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. It was concluded that the potential damage risk, that is, hazardous effect, of 90 dBA is greater than 85 dBA of noise for equivalent full-day exposures. The statistical difference between the overall effects of equivalent exposures to 85 dBA as compared to 90 dBA of noise could not be traced to any one frequency. The damage risk of a full-day exposure to 85 dBA is equivalent to that of a half-day exposure to 90 dBA of noise. Within the limits of this study, TTS t was as effective as TTS 2 for estimating the damage risk of noise exposure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-59
Author(s):  
Iheanyichukwu M. Elechi

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the aircraft noise exposure, annoyance reactions and health status of the residents living within the vicinity of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA) in Lagos state, Nigeria. Aircraft noise monitoring was conducted in five locations within the vicinity (0-5Km) of MMA, and a sixth distant location (14km away). Levels of aircraft noise for all five locations within the vicinity of the airport exceeded the EPA Victoria threshold of 75 dB LAmax for the residential area (outdoor). A survey on annoyance induced by aircraft noise exposure and general health status was conducted on 450 local residents in the study locations using the International Commission on Biological Effect of Noise question and a single question that has been applied in Dutch national health care surveys since 1983 on self-reported general health status respectively. Percentage of residents within the vicinity of MMA that were highly annoyed (%HA) exceeded 15% guideline limit stipulated by Federal Interagency Committee on Urban Noise while 14.5% reported poor health status. There was a significant association between the annoyance reactions and aircraft noise levels in the study locations while the association between self-reported health status and aircraft noise levels was not significant. Taken together, the residents within the vicinity of the airport are exposed to aircraft noise levels above permissible limit which may be associated with high annoyance reaction but may not be associated with poor health rating. Evidence-based aircraft noise related policies by government are advocated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 841.1-841
Author(s):  
Lucy Hall ◽  
Sophie Dando ◽  
Anthony Hanks

Aims/Objectives/BackgroundIn the Emergency department (ED), noise is a frequent and often unavoidable consequence of work undertaken and levels can often be raised during the day and night. Raised ambient noise levels have potential implications for the workforce, patients and relatives.Investigation into the problem of noise levels in the ED follows feedback from a young patient who couldn’t sleep during a prolonged stay. His complaint focused on loud, irregular banging noises such as those from closing bins that kept him awake.The team felt work should be done to see if it was a wider spread problem or just isolated to his case. A simple sound recording experiment and literature search was conducted.Methods/DesignThe literature search was conducted using electronic/online databases (Medline; Cochrane library) with a fixed date range and specific inclusion criteria.The noise exposure experiment was conducted using a verified phone app to record the sound levels. They were measured at 3 times, during a night shift, in the paediatric emergency department of UHW. All measurements were at a fixed distance and were averaged and compared with WHO recommendations.Results/ConclusionsThere are many sources of noise pollution in the ED, some are unavoidable for safety and clinical reasons.The literature review produced a small number of papers all of which found that sound levels were raised above recommended levels. Similarly, all the sounds measured in the ED also exceeded the recommendations.The most consistent finding across the papers, matched by findings from recordings, was that human behavioural modification is an easy and effective way to reduce noise levels.There are simple steps that can be taken to reduce and eliminate soundsRaising awareness regarding this problem is of great importance and focussing future work on assessing the impact in younger patients within the Emergency Department is paramount.


Author(s):  
Chun-Yip Hon ◽  
Illia Tchernikov ◽  
Craig Fairclough ◽  
Alberto Behar

Excessive noise levels are a prevalent issue in food processing operations and, although there have been numerous studies on occupational noise, no single study has used a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Employing this study design allows for an understanding of the level of convergence (similarity) between measured noise levels and workers’ attitudes and perceptions towards noise. This, in turn, allows for the identification of potential challenges with respect to the implementation of hearing conservation efforts. In this study, spot noise measurements were collected using a sound level meter. One-on-one interviews were conducted with workers to determine attitudes and perceptions towards noise in their workplaces. Subsequently, the results of the noise measurements (quantitative data) were integrated with the survey responses (qualitative data) to identify convergence. The majority of the noise measurements were found to exceed 85 dBA—the criterion mandated by the local occupational health and safety legislation. Although all study participants felt that it was noisy in the workplace, a large proportion of respondents indicated that the noise was not bothersome. With workers’ perception being contradictory to the measured noise levels, it is a challenge to implement hearing conservation measures unless changes are made to raise the awareness of the risks associated with excessive noise exposure.


Author(s):  
Denis G. Karczub ◽  
Fred W. Catron ◽  
Allen C. Fagerlund

In a blow-down situation as might occur at a natural gas processing facility, noise levels are very high and significantly exceed the noise levels one would normally associate with a control valve. As the blow-down operation is an infrequent event, this may be permissible but requires consideration of the duration of these high noise levels to ensure that occupational noise exposure limits and acoustic fatigue limits are not exceeded. Tests of noise levels due to an 8-inch control valve in a 12-inch pipeline under blow-down conditions are compared here with noise level predictions based on the IEC standard. Consideration is also given to the impact of placing an orifice plate downstream of the control valve as is often done to reduce pressure drop across the valve in the expectation that control valve noise levels will be reduced. Simple orifice plates often installed by plant operators to achieve this goal are shown to have an adverse impact, and it is shown that a multi-hole diffuser or low-noise control valve should instead be used.


2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P160-P160
Author(s):  
Angela P Black ◽  
James D Sidman

Objectives To demonstrate that neonatal ventilators produce high noise levels through bone conduction (BC) via endotracheal tubes, as well as air conduction (AC) from ambient noise. Methods A sound level meter was used to measure the noise levels 4 feet from the ventilator and in direct contact at the end of a balloon attached to the ETT to simulate the noise presented to the infant. 3 commonly used neonatal ventilators (Sensormedics 3100A, VIP Bird and Bunnell Jet) were examined. Results Noise levels were significantly higher (6 – 14 dB) at the end of the ETT than 4 ft from the ventilator for all ventilators studied. Conclusions Previous studies have shown high ambient noise levels in NICUs, but have failed to address the actual noise presented to the infant. ETT transmission of noise as a direct bone stimulus through the skull has been overlooked. This study has shown that high noise intensities are being presented not only as AC, but as BC to the infants though the ETT. This study demonstrates, therefore, that ear protection alone will not save these at-risk infants from hearing damage. More must be done to decrease noise exposure and develop quieter machines.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1119-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonyoung Yang ◽  
Hyeun Jun Moon ◽  
Myung-Jun Kim

Realistic thermal conditions with various humidity levels have been considered to examine the combined effects of noise and thermal conditions on indoor environmental perceptions. Subjective assessments of temperature, humidity and psychoacoustics were conducted with 26 subjects under combined environments of seven thermal conditions (18℃: RH 30, 60%, 24℃: RH 27, 43, 65%, 30℃: RH 30, 60%), two noise types (fan and babble noises) and five noise levels (45, 50, 55, 60 and 65 dBA). Three-minute moderate noise exposure did not affect temperature or humidity sensations. However, the temperature and humidity levels affected loudness, annoyance and acoustic preferences when noise was presented as babble. Fan noise perceptions were found to be independent of thermal conditions. Gender differences were clearly found in terms of thermal and psychoacoustic perceptions. Men were more sensitive to hot sensations than women, and women were more sensitive to arid sensations than men. Women were more sensitive to noise levels than men. Gender differences were also found in terms of different types of noise. Men were found to be significantly less sensitive to fan noise than women. Even though psychoacoustic parameters were affected by indoor thermal conditions, thermal parameters were not affected by short-term moderate noise. The combined effect of various types of noise and temperature is still unclear, and this will be considered in a future larger cohort study.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Tong

Abstract Generator noise is one of the primary concerns in generator designs. The most cost-effective way to deal with the noise issue is to incorporate the reduction of sound pressure level in an early design stage. Once a generator is manufactured, it is often expensive to modify the design for reducing noise levels. For old generators with high sound pressure levels, an effective method to lower the generator noise exposure is to employ acoustic blankets wrapped on the generator external surfaces. However, with the application of acoustic blankets, heat transfer through generator walls can be greatly reduced, leading to the higher generator core temperature and higher generator cooling load. This paper has addressed the design of generator acoustic blankets and its impact on generator cooling performance. The analysis has shown that the influence of acoustic blankets on the generator thermal performance is low or moderate. This suggests that the current acoustic blanket design is feasible. Results from this study have been used to optimize the blanket design.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A5.3-A6
Author(s):  
Zara Ann Stokholm ◽  
Inge Brosbøl Iversen ◽  
Henrik Kolstad

Current legislation and threshold limits for occupational noise exposure may not sufficiently account for higher vulnerability of the foetus. We conducted a systematic literature review and identified 20 relevant studies of prenatal noise exposure levels and health. Maternal tissues attenuate industrial noise by about 30 dB. The foetus responds the earliest to noise exposure from the 19th week of gestational age. There is some evidence of an increased risk of hearing loss at prenatal noise levels≥85 dBA (8 hour average) and little evidence at lower levels. Increased risks for preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age and congenital malformations are seen as single study findings at levels≥90 dBA. There is little evidence for how noise exposure may increase the risk of extra-auditive effects in the foetus. Methodological shortcomings and the scarce number of studies limit the conclusions that can be drawn. Still, we recommend pregnant women avoid working at noise levels≥85 dBA.


2020 ◽  
pp. 194589242097652
Author(s):  
Marc Levin ◽  
Kelvin Zhou ◽  
Ethan C. Sommer ◽  
Hitansh Purohit ◽  
Jeffery Wells ◽  
...  

Background Noise in the operating room (OR) contributes to miscommunication among team members and may negatively impact patient outcomes. Objectives This study aimed to quantify noise levels during endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. The secondary aim was to understand how OR team members perceive noise during endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. Methods Noise levels were measured using the validated phone application SoundMeter X 10.0.4 (r1865) (Faber Acoustical, Utah, USA) at the ear-level of the surgeon, scrub nurse, circulating nurse, and anesthesiologist. At the end of each surgery, OR team members were asked to complete a six-question questionnaire about noise during that surgery. Results One thousand four hundred and two noise measurements were recorded across 353 trials. The loudest mean noise measurement was 84.51 dB and maximum noise measurement was 96.21 dB at the ear-level of the surgeon. Noise was significantly higher at the ear-level of the surgeon and scrub nurse in comparison to the circulating nurse (p = .000) and anesthesiologist (p = .000). Forty percent of questionnaire respondents believed noise was a problem and 38% stated that noise caused communication issues during surgery. Conclusion Surgeons and scrub nurses have significantly higher noise exposure in comparison to circulating nurses and anesthesiologists during endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. For these members of the OR team, noise is also identified as problematic and causing issues with communication. Mechanisms to reduce potential noise may be implemented to improve communication and patient outcomes in endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery.


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