Flooring impact sound: An overview of the new test standard, its application for healthcare design, and potential updates to the standard

Abstract

Noise is a major concern in many healthcare environments, and the “Quietness of Hospital Environment” item on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) consistently receives one of the lowest scores. A recent study showed that among many acoustic metrics, peak occurrence rates were one of the best correlated with HCAHPS scores for Quietness of Hospital Environment. Flooring impact sound from footsteps, rolling carts, and dropped items can be a significant source of noise in hospitals, and that impact sound is likely to contribute to peak occurrence rates. Flooring-generated noise is often a concern for healthcare designers, and is a primary consideration when picking flooring materials, but until recently there has been no standard for assessing the floor impact sound radiation of various floor coverings. A new standard, ASTM E3133, provides this assessment. In this presentation, data from recent testing to the ASTM E3133 standard will be given for various floor coverings. Additionally, the presentation will cover issues with the test methodology and potential solutions. Finally, preliminary results from a proposed field test standard will be discussed.