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Controlling Noise on
Construction Sites
Controlling Construction Noise
Controlling construction noise can pose speci
al problems for contractors. Unlike general
industry, construction activiti
es are not always stationary and in one location.
Construction activities often take place outsi
de where they can be affected by weather,
wind tunnels, topography, atmosphere and la
ndscaping. Construction noise makers, e.g.,
heavy earth moving equipment,
can move from location to lo
cation and is likely to vary
considerably in its intens
ity throughout a work day
High noise levels on construction worksites can be lowered by using commonly accepted
engineering and administrative controls. This bo
oklet is filled with tips other contractors
and have used to lower the noise levels on
construction worksites.
Normally, earplugs
and other types of personal
protective equipment (PPE) are used to control a worker’s
exposure to noisy equipment and work areas.
However, as a rule, engineering and
administrative controls should always be the
preferred method of reducing noise levels on
worksites. Only, when these controls are
proven unfeasible, earplugs as a permanent
solution should be considered.
Engineering Controls
Engineering controls modify the equipment or
the work area to make it quieter. Examples
of engineering controls are:
substituting existing equipm
ent with quieter equipment;
retro-fitting existing equipment with damping
materials, mufflers, or
enclosures; erecting
barriers; and maintenance.
Administrative Controls
These are management decisions on work activ
ities, work rotation and work load to
reduce workers’ exposure to high noise levels
. Typical management decisions that reduce
worker exposures to noise are: moving work
ers away from the noise source; restricting
access to areas; rotating workers performi
ng noisy tasks; and shutting down noisy
equipment when not needed.
Personal Protective Equipment
Earplugs are the typical PPE gi
ven to workers to reduce their
exposure to noise. Earplugs
are the control of last reso
rt and should only be provided when other means of noise
controls are infeasible. As
a general rule, workers shoul
d be using earplugs whenever
they are exposed to noise levels of 85 dB (A
) or when they have to shout in order to
communicate.