Noise Blog

  Summer is often a time for eating out while you enjoy warm nights and long days of sunlight. A time to catch up with friends and family, exchange news and relax over good food and perhaps a glass of Rosé or a cheeky Sauv Blanc.

WHAT IS NOISE MODELLING AND WHY DO WE USE IT?

Noise modelling can be a powerful tool in assessing noise from industry facilities with a large number of noise sources.

It can accurately determine what noise sources are the main contributors to noise pollution in the surrounding environment and how the noise environment will change when problem noise sources are controlled.

A study involving 209 dosimetry measurements and 100 area measurements in four Swedish paper mills supported the use of dosimetry, in the characterisation of noise exposures in conjunction with sound pressure levels, over sound pressure levels on their own. The analysis showed that dosimetry measures, had the highest estimated validity coefficient (0.70), and that area measurements (0.40) were significantly less accurate at predicting exposure.

Did you know that Construction workers are among the most affected by industrial deafness? Safe Work Australia research shows that the construction industry is the third noisiest industry sector.

Many of the workers are surprised at this result, particularly when they may have considered it to be a ‘Quiet’ Day during which they only conducted the occasional noisy activity. However the meaning of a ‘Quiet’ Day to a Tradie is somewhat different to somebody who works in an Office.

The EPA's Noise Effects Handbook states that excessive noise can create distraction and mental fatigue that can impair workers' judgment and reduce morale. At certain levels, constant noise pollution can interfere with necessary business communications or even drown out safety alarms. A noisy workplace environment places stress on employees, who must find ways to work around the impediment.

This may seem like a strange statement but the reality is that obesity can result in hearing loss. Being overweight is unhealthy from many points of view but recent studies show that there is also a link between obesity and hearing loss.

I can hear you thinking to yourself ‘How on earth can obesity cause hearing loss?” There are actually 2 ways that obesity can affect your hearing:

We all know the common flu symptoms – fever, headaches, sore muscle, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, dry cough, tiredness – but did you know that the flu can also cause temporary and potentially permanent hearing loss?

How temporary hearing loss is caused