Modernization of the “Noise Database for Prediction of Noise on Construction and Open Sites.”

The “Noise Database for Prediction of Noise on Construction and Open Sites” was prepared by Hepworth Acoustics Ltd in 2004, distributed by the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and updated in 2005 and 2006. It has been adopted worldwide and provides a degree of standardization of assumptions used for certain projects. With access to thousands of results from sound power testing done in general accordance with ISO methodology, which uses multiple microphone positions to account for directional noise emissions, there is a unique opportunity in Australia to significantly improve the quality of the database. Improvements to the database would include a broader range of equipment and larger sample sizes allowing a better understanding of statistical uncertainty, options for reasonable and feasible attenuation, and low-frequency noise components that the DEFRA database is currently lacking. This could be used as a reference for both acousticians and regulators to improve the quality and consistency of assumptions used in the assessment of noise impact from a wider range of projects.