Noise emission and noise exposure - an approach to improve the link

Abstract

A lot of work was spent by acousticians the last decades to reduce the noise caused by technical products. Important steps on that way were the description of the sound emission of these products and facilities by unambiguously defined quantities - the A-weighted sound power level and the emission sound pressure level. With a framework of standards for measurement and declaration we supported the buyer of such products in his purchase decision. The emission values of different machine groups were published - in standards and guidelines in anonymous form - and the buyers were encouraged to select from possible alternatives those that offer the lower noise emission in their declaration. But since many years we hear in this buy quiet sessions that the declared emission values are often not very reliable - and they are not understandable for those affected by the noise. This can be improved by establishing a strong link between the emission and the noise impact. Some strategies and tools are shown and recommendations for the development of supporting standards are given. Some examples about the advantageous use of emission values are demonstrated.