It is unlikely that anyone other than a qualified noise consultant will be able to carry out an assessment of noise. A representative assessment will be required to include special circumstances eg tonal values, impact noise, number and loudness of individual events, weather conditions etc.
BS 4142, BS 8223 and the World Health Guidelines all give values and design ranges for the measurement of noise in certain situations.
The assessment needs to cover the noisiest periods, taking into account the character of the area eg shift patterns in businesses as well as night time noise levels.
Certain information must be recorded including isolated events which would not be represented in an equivalent noise level [LAeq] taken over a longer period eg a train which passed at 5:00am, or unpredictable impact noise. High incident noise levels for short periods may cause sleep disturbance.
Information required:
- Daytime LAeq [7:00am to 11:00pm] at representative points around the site or at various facades
- Night time LAeq [11:00pm to 7:00am] at representative points around the site or at various facades
LAmax values for the daytime and night time period.