Noise Monitoring & Assessment
Measured against the limits that apply to you
Environmental and occupational noise measured and assessed against regulated limits, with the survey designed before the meter comes out of the case.
The survey design carries more weight than the meter
Noise results depend on when you measure, where you stand and what else was happening at the time. Two competent surveys of the same site can produce very different numbers if the design differs, which is why the method is scrutinised more closely than the instrument.
Complaints complicate it further. A measurement taken after a complaint has to answer a specific question about a specific source at a specific time, and a general boundary survey rarely does that.
What the survey covers
Boundary noise surveys
Measurement at the site perimeter against the limits your permit sets, across the periods the condition specifies.
Receptor assessment
Measurement at the nearest noise-sensitive locations, which is where a complaint will be judged rather than at your fence.
Occupational noise exposure
Personal and area measurement inside the works, assessed against exposure limits and used to set hearing protection requirements.
Construction and blasting
Short-term monitoring for works phases, including vibration where blasting or piling is involved.
Noise impact assessment
Predictive modelling for new or expanding facilities, where the question is what the noise will be rather than what it is.
How the work runs
Design
Positions, periods and duration are set against the condition or the complaint.
Measure
Calibrated instruments are deployed, with observations logged alongside the readings.
Analyse
Results are processed, with extraneous noise identified and accounted for.
Report
Findings are set against the applicable limits with the method fully stated.
A result is only as good as the method behind it.
Have your conditions reviewedWhat you get out of it
Survey designed first
Positions, periods and duration are set before fieldwork, because the design decides the number.
All periods covered
Day, evening and night carry different limits, so a representative survey covers each.
Extraneous noise identified
Observations are logged during measurement so other sources can be separated from yours.
Complaints answered specifically
Where there has been a complaint, the survey is designed to answer that question, not a general one.
Who needs noise monitoring
Manufacturing
Boundary limits apply to most permitted facilities, and occupational exposure assessment is a separate obligation covering the workforce inside.
Discuss your siteQuarries & mining
Blasting brings vibration and airblast alongside conventional noise, and these sites tend to be the most complaint-exposed of all.
Discuss your siteConstruction
Works-phase limits are usually tied to a management plan, with monitoring triggered by proximity to residential areas.
Discuss your sitePower generation
Continuous plant noise is assessed at night, which is when the limits are tightest and complaints are most likely.
Discuss your siteCommercial premises
Plant, generators and delivery activity at commercial sites generate most of the noise complaints that reach municipalities.
Discuss your siteFacilities facing a complaint
A complaint changes the question from compliance to attribution, and the survey has to be designed for that specifically.
Discuss your siteCommon questions
What is the difference between boundary and receptor monitoring?
How long does a noise survey take?
Is environmental noise the same as occupational noise?
What if a neighbour complains?
Can noise be predicted before we build?
Not sure what your permit requires?
Send us the conditions and we will tell you exactly which parameters, methods and frequencies apply. No charge for the review.