Computer analysis of health and welfare impact of construction-site noise

Abstract

As may be expected, the noise impact of construction-site activity varies widely with the type and phase of construction as well as with topographic and demographic factors. In order to evaluate the public health and welfare impact of construction-site noise, a large number of construction activity scenarios must be considered. The assessment method discussed in this paper involves the computation, on a national basis, of the total population impacted by construction-site noise in terms of the number of people exposed and the severity of impact. A computer model to estimate the population impacted by construction site noise was successfully programmed for the IBM/370 computer. The computer model is based on the EPA construction-site noise and population-impact method. The model considers 30 types of construction equipment, four types of construction activity, five construction phases, and five population-density land uses. The computer program computes an Equivalent Noise Index (ENI) and also tabulates the population exposed to construction-site noise levels above any specified day-night average sound level. The effectiveness and versatility of the program enables the user to determine construction-site noise impact, taking into consideration a large number of variables which predominantly affect the extent and severity of that impact. Examples of computer model application will be presented.