As communities across Australia gets busier and busier by the month, so there is an increase in the amount of pollution. Most people think of this as carbon emissions or smog, but there are many other different forms of pollution as well. In fact, noise pollution is an area that is frequently overlooked but can be particularly disturbing, especially in the bigger cities. If you're planning any kind of major expansion at work, then this may be an area that you haven't considered either. Why do you need to have an acoustic consultant on your side before you progress?

Owner Responsibilities

Business owners are responsible for many different elements of their operation, but primarily they need to focus on the health, safety and well-being of their staff, visitors and others around them. There are many different laws in place to dictate exactly how much responsibility they may have, but they must make sure that they are not creating any harm or damage by causing too much noise.

The First Step

An acoustic consultant can be brought in to help the owner control and manage any noise or vibration caused by business operations. This can be achieved in a variety of different ways, but the first thing to commission is a formal noise impact assessment.

What Could Be the Triggers?

The consultant will determine what impact the proposed operation will have on residents or other businesses in the surrounding environment and will identify "noise sensitive receptors" as well. There can be a variety of triggers for a noise impact assessment, apart from one that is truly voluntary prior to work commencing. It is also possible that the local council may require such an assessment before permission can be granted. It's also possible that a local environmental health team could reach out, especially if a prior complaint has arisen from similar businesses in the area.

What's the Objective?

The assessment will be able to predict the effect that the new operation will have over and above the current climate. A baseline will be established, and a variety of different models will be used in order to come up with a reasonable prediction.

Starting Early For Best Effect

Due to the element of uncertainty and the high level of experience and expertise required in order to come up with such an assessment, its vital to bring in a qualified acoustic consultant at the earliest stage of preparation. Armed with the best information and assessment possible, many potential problems in the future can be averted.