Noise labels—Satisfying many users

Abstract

In order to be successful, noise labels must provide information that is useable by many different groups (consumers, buyers, manufacturers, etc.). (In this paper, the term ‘‘noise label’’ refers to acoustical information that is provided by a manufacturer or supplier to purchasers or users of products; the information may be presented as a label physically applied to the product, as a ‘‘tag’’ attached to the product, in the products specification sheet, in the products users manual, or possibly in a ‘‘catalog’’ of data on several different products.) The noise label should provide information that permits the purchaser and user to determine the products suitability or compatibility with the environment in which the product will be used. The information in the noise labels for all products should be similar in format and content to enable users both to understand the metrics contained in the label and to make informed decisions based in part upon the information contained in the label. This paper discusses these issues and others that must be resolved in the development of a noise labeling standard by ANSI S12 working group 38 and for its successful implementation.