What is Noisefinder.com?
- Analyser software, hardware
with audio interface for laptop - Training package
- Access to the
Noisefinder.com forum - Within NZ Noisefinder.com can provide a service to identify and attenuate noise sources. Contact Stuart Fraser on: 021 855 347
- Noisefinder.com can also be purchased as a self teach solution package from our Products page.
Our Products
Noise Control
What is Environmental Noise?
Environmental noise is defined as noise impact on the wider external environment typically generated by the nature of an organisations business eg a manufacturing business, a nightclub, or a construction site. In all these cases regulations will be defined by the relevant local/national body (eg local council) that clearly state the allowable nature, decibel limit and time windows.
The World Health Organisation makes the following statements:
- Continued growth in transport systems -- highways, airports and railways -- generate more noise. Many countries have regulations on community noise from rail, road, construction and industrial plants based on emission standards, but few have any regulations on neighbourhood community noise, probably owing to difficulties with its definition, measurement and control. This and the insufficient knowledge of the effects of noise on people handicap attempts to prevent and control the problem.
- More than half the citizens of Europe live in noisy surroundings; a third experience levels of noise at night that disturb sleep
- A link between community noise and mental health problems is suggested by the demand for tranquillizers and sleeping pills, the incidence of psychiatric symptoms and the number of admissions to mental hospitals
What is Health and Safety Noise?
Health and Safety noise is defined as the noise impact within a public or workplace environment which can have a short or long term impact on peoples hearing in the defined area. As with environmental noise, there will be clearly defined regulations governing allowable noise levels and exposure times.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is the deafness that occurs when the ears are exposed to sounds in excess of what they can handle. Noise Induced Hearing Loss is a significant issue which many countries and organisations are failing to recognise and act upon:
- On average, 11 more New Zealanders receive compensation for Noise induced Hearing Loss every day. Compensation for rehabilitation directly cost New Zealand $43 million in 2004/05. (Source: The University of Auckland – Faculty of Medical Health and Sciences – injury Prevention Information Centre)
- Around a quarter of the New Zealand workforce of 1.47 million workers are affected to some degree by harmful noise at work. (Source: The University of Auckland – Faculty of Medical Health and Sciences – injury Prevention Information Centre)
- 7% of European workers consider that their work affects their health in terms of hearing disorders. (Source: European Survey of Working Conditions ESWC)
- Excessive exposure to noise has a significant negative impact on human health .(Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work)
Both Environmental and Health and Safety Noise can represent significant challenges to the organisations responsible for these noise sources as the specific sources can often be difficult to detect and as a result of this inability to accurately detect, the ‘solution’ is typically a large scale enclosure structure which comes at significant cost.
The traditional approach to reducing Environmental / Health and Safety Noise:
- A complaint is raised by a client/employee/neighbour
- The local governing body instructs the owner of the noise source to have the noise measured by a qualified 3rd party.
- The owner of the noise source contracts the services of a ‘noise consultant’ who typically measures peak decibel output and gives little or no guidance on the specific source of the noise.
- The owner of the noise source contracts engineering consultants to design a containment structure for the unspecified noise source.
- The owner arranges for the construction of the containment structure.
- The owner re-contracts the ‘noise consultant’ to confirm the new noise level.
- The owner informs the local governing body of the new noise level and is signed off to continue operating their business.
The outcome of the above is that there is significant disruption to the noise source owners business and often significant cost incurred. The problem stems from the fact that the actual source of noise was never identified and therefore never attenuated.
What is the Noisefinder.com approach?
“We believe that in order to understand and control noise it is not necessary to be highly technical. Noise problems can quite often be solved by the people who are directly affected.”
(source: Noise Control In Industry: A Practical Guide)
Noisefinder.com is focused on breaking the existing paradigm that exists around identifying and attenuating out of specification noise sources which is that it requires specialist knowledge and specialist equipment. The Noisefinder.com solution package is composed of a basic hardware and software kit that uses the processing power of a standard laptop to identify noise sources to an accuracy of 1/24th octave (approximately 3 Hz). The solution package also contains guidance on building internal capability through structured team based problem solving to attenuate sources of noise once identified.
The Noisefinder.com solution is made up of the following elements:
- Spectrum analyzer software which identifies the actual frequency to within 3Hz that is creating the peak noise level .
- Two microphones
- A directional microphone which allows for general sound and frequency level readings and tracking the noise to within approximately 2m of its source.
- A close up microphone that enables the actual noise source to be traced within 10 cm of its source
- Training tutorials which enable an inexperienced user to follow through the simple steps to identify the actual noise source.
- Registered User access to the Noisefinder.com forum which contains a range of solutions to specific noise source problems, a community of users to share experiences, extended case studies, links to relevant equipment suppliers and other sources of information that will become invaluable in addressing noise problems in a sustainable way.