Noise management
A lot of the work in dismantlers' yards is noisy. Activities such as hammering, cutting and grinding can be bad for your health and annoying for neighbours.
- Take a regular walk around your premises and the neighbouring area to assess the noise impact from your business activities.
- Reduce machinery noise by shielding, enclosing, muffling and regularly maintaining equipment. House machines on rubber, and surround them with solid brick walls.
- Reduce the offensive noise of compressors by:
- enclosing them with a material that will muffle sound
- placing them in a back room and keeping the door shut (as long as there is adequate ventilation)
- fitting silencers on the inlet and exhaust
- maintaining them regularly.
- Avoid after-hours work. If you have to work after-hours, make every effort to reduce noise. For example, keep the doors shut and keep panel beating to an absolute minimum. Legislation limits the amount of noise permitted and when it is permitted.
- Avoid the use of extension telephone bells and public address systems.
- The POEO Act provides regulatory authorities with powers to require offensive noise be ceased. If someone hears your business activities and they have reasonable grounds to be annoyed by this, then you may be creating offensive noise and could be issued with a notice or direction to cease making offensive noise. It is an offence to continue the noise in breach of the notice or direction.
Further information
- Your local council
- DECC Environment Line, Phone: 131 555
- The noise section of the DECC website
- Yellow Pages - look under 'Noise Control Equipment', 'Noise Insulation' and
'Acoustic Consultants'
Page last updated: 27 February 2011
