Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management

IEDA 3130 Ergonomics and Safety Management

NOISE MEASUREMENT
Laboratory #1
2023

This lab will require you to perform noise measurements at the university
print shop. Please behave yourselves well in the print shop and please do
not stay in the print shop unless accompanied by a TA.

Please DO NOT BE LATE for this lab as we have made

Arrangement for you to visit the print shop and make sound
Level measurement!

Instructor: Dr. Chin, Jing Wei (Nick)

Room 5584
Email: nickchin@ust.hk
<< You will need to read p. 25, 26, and 27 of
Guidance Notes on Noise at Work Regulation >>

Reminder: Write your own answers to discussion questions

and DO NOT COPY answers from others.
Last update: 2023-Sep-13 IEDA 3130

Table of Contents
1 OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................... 2
2 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 2
3 Background Reading......................................................................................... 2
3.1 Sound pressure level (SPL) and its unit of ‘dB’ ................................................ 3
3.2 Problems with ‘dB’ as a unit of noise and the use of ‘Frequency weighting curve
A’ to transform the unit ‘dB’ into the unit of ‘dBA’ ................................................... 3
3.3 Noise Measurement ......................................................................................... 5
3.4 The calculation of LEP,d (i.e., LAeq, 8hrs ) using the concept of fractional
exposure ................................................................................................................ 5
3.5 Audiogram (hearing threshold) Measurement .................................................. 6
3.6 Active Noise Control ......................................................................................... 7
4 MATERIALS & APPARATUS ............................................................................. 8
4.1 Sound Level meters (Appendix A) .................................................................... 8
4.2 Audiometer (Appendix B & C) .......................................................................... 8
4.3 Speakers .......................................................................................................... 8
4.4 Goldwave software ........................................................................................... 8
5 SUBJECTS.......................................................................................................... 8
6 PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................... 9
6.1 Audiogram measurement (Part I) ..................................................................... 9
6.2 Noise measurement at the University Print-shop (Part II)................................. 9
6.3 Active Noise Control (Part III) ......................................................................... 11
7 RESULTS [Total: 30%] ..................................................................................... 12
8 DISCUSSION [Total: 60%] ............................................................................... 13
9 Appendix .......................................................................................................... 16
9.1 Appendix A - Instructions for the TES Model 1350 (or UEI Model DSM 100)
Digital Sound Level Meter .................................................................................... 16
9.2 Appendix B - Simplified instructions for operating the Madsen Audiometer ... 17
9.3 Appendix C - Simplified instructions for operating the Amplivox Audiometer . 20
9.4 Appendix D – Subject Consent Form for Subjects Taking Part in Lab
Experiments for IEDA3130................................................................................... 23
9.5 Appendix E – paragraphs taken from the guidance to Noise at Work regulation
24

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1 OBJECTIVES
Part I – To conduct a hearing threshold measurement using an audiometer.
Part II – To conduct two simple noise assessment exercises and illustrate the use of
the daily noise exposure (LEP,d).
Part III – To conduct a simple digital signal processing exercise to illustrate the use of
active noise control.
2 INTRODUCTION
As mentioned on p.16 of the lecture entitled “Introduction to Ergonomics”, Hong Kong
has legislation to control the noise exposure to workers at workplace:
CHAPTER 59T FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS (NOISE AT
WORK) REGULATIONS
Cap 59T section 3 Assessment of noise exposure
Cap 59T section 4 Ear protection zones
Cap 59T section 10 Provision of information to employees
Cap 59T section 12 Offences
In this lab, you will follow the guidelines set by the Labor Department of HK to conduct
noise assessment at the print shop at HKUST. In addition, you will also learn to
measure the hearing threshold of your team members. In industry, such
measurements are essential to satisfy the laws of HKSAR Government and these
measurements will usually be carried out by the ‘Factory Inspectors’ of the Labor
Department. In 1997, the Civil service post of ‘Factory Inspector’ raised the entry
requirement to degree level and had recruited more than 150 new positions. There
was also a discussion about changing the name of ‘Factory Inspectors’ to ‘Health and
Safety Officers’ as the new ‘Occupational Safety and Health Ordinances’ require these
officers to inspect business offices, warehouses, schools, hospitals, supermarkets,
hotels, elderly care-homes, etc… and not just factories. In the last part of this lab, you
will learn one of the ways to eliminate noise, which is active noise control (ANC).
3 Background Reading
(Source: Evaluation of Human Work - Wilson & Corlett)
Sound can bring pleasing information, but unnecessary sound or too much sound can
be annoying, distracting and possibly harmful. Noise is “audible acoustic energy that
adversely affects the physiological or psychological well-being of people” (Kryter, 1985)
or simply ‘unwanted sound’. The two basic characteristics of sound waves are
Amplitude (e.g. pressure peak intensity) and Frequency. The amplitude of the sound
pressure wave is the fluctuation above or below the ambient air pressure. Our
sensation of loudness however does not come directly from the pressure, but from the
intensity of the sound which is the rate at which energy is transmitted by the wave.
This is defined in terms of the energy passing through a unit area in unit time or sound
power per unit area. Pressure can be measured more directly, but it is more difficult to
measure sound power. Sound pressure and sound power are, however, closely
related. The units of sound pressure normally used are microbars, dynes per square
centimeter, Newtons per square meter, Pascals.
Sound is described by intensity and frequency. (The corresponding sensations in
human hearing are termed loudness and pitch). Intensity or power of the oscillations
in the air is measured in watts per meter2 (Wm-2). Pressure is measured in Newtons
per meter2 (Nm-2). This is called Sound Pressure. Frequency is measured in Hertz
(Hz). The total sound power of sound source can be measured and is expressed in
watts (W).

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3.1 Sound pressure level (SPL) and its unit of ‘dB’

A level of a quantity is the logarithm of the ratio of that quantity to a reference quantity
of the same kind. In this case, the reference quantity is the reference sound pressure
of 20 uPa or uN/m2 and logarithm to the base 10 is used.

The unit of Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is Decibel (dB). The definition of dB is:
Decibel (dB): one tenth of a bel. [A level in decibels is 10 times the logarithm,
to the base 10, of the ratio of power-like quantities (e.g. sound intensity) or 20
times the logarithm of vector-like quantities (e.g. pressure).
With SPL:
SPLp in dB = 20 log10 (p / po) dB
where p = r.m.s. sound pressure
po = r.m.s. reference sound pressure (20 µPa or µN/m2)

3.2 Problems with ‘dB’ as a unit of noise and the use of ‘Frequency
weighting curve A’ to transform the unit ‘dB’ into the unit of ‘dBA’
Our ears have different sensitivity to noise at different frequencies. Therefore, a noise
at a SPL level of 60dB and at a frequency of 1kHz will give different loudness than a
noise at a SPL level of 60dB but at a frequency of 50Hz. In fact, a noise of sound
pressure level of 60dB with frequency content of around 1kHz will sound MUCH louder
than a noise of the same sound pressure level (i.e., also 60dB) but with frequency
content of around 50Hz. The reason is that, in general, our ears are more sensitive to
noise at higher frequencies (i.e. 1kHz or above).
This difference in sensitivity due to the frequencies of noise presents the following
problem: we can no longer rely on the ‘dB’ unit to indicate the loudness of sound. The
dB is the unit for SPL which only represents the magnitude of noise. Now, we know
that the besides the magnitude, the loudness of noise will also depend on the
frequency content of the noise. So, we need a “better” unit than ‘dB’.
The solution is the unit called ‘dBA’. This new unit combines the effects of magnitude
(i.e., dB) as well as the effects of frequency:

𝑑𝐵𝐴 = 𝑑𝐵 + 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒

Table 1 illustrates the correction factor (in dB) as a function of frequency. Inspections
of Table 1 indicate that when a noise is at 1kHz, no correction factors are needed. As
the frequency of noise is reduced, the level of dBA will also be reduced. You can infer
from Table 1 that human ears are most sensitive to noise at 2kHz and 4kHz. As shown
in Table 1, the correction factors were called scale-A and therefore the unit is called
‘dBA’. In real life, the conversion will be done using a digital filter inside a good
quality Sound Level Meter. In other words, a Sound Level Meter should have a
button for you to select ‘Frequency Weighting A’. (You will find that there is also a
‘frequency weighting C’ which we do not use this in this lab.)

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Further reading for your interest: https://www.noisemeters.com/help/faq/frequency-

weighting.asp (the link has been tested to work on 11 Sep 2023)

Table 1. Correction factors by frequency weight scale A.

(Source: Evaluation of Human Work, Wilson & Corlett)
Frequency (Hz) A-scale correction factors (dB)
31.5 -39
63 -26
125 -16
250 -9
500 -3
1000 0
2000 1
4000 1
8000 -1

Q: A self-check question: is human ear more sensitive or less sensitive at low freq
(say 20Hz) than 1kHz?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

[Show your answer to the TA in-charge-of this lab. Depending on your answers, the
TA will explain the concept of frequency weighting scale A to you].

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3.3 Noise Measurement

We use a Sound Level Meter to measure noise. All Sound Level Meters can measure
noise in unit of ‘dB’ (i.e., just the SPL) as well as ‘dBA’ (i.e., SPL with correction factors
due to the frequency of noise). In fact, some Meter can also provide ‘dBC’, ‘dBD’ …
but we will not use those in this lab. Since noise level changes with time, we will
average the noise level over a period of time (T). So, we have the ‘Equivalent Sound
Level (LAeq,T)’.
The Equivalent Sound Level (LAeq,T) is the average level of sound over a given period
of time (T), which integrates all the fluctuating noises to represent them as an average
steady level. Normally, a Sound Level Meter will have an automatic function to
calculate this LAeq,T . In this lab, however, the DSM100 Sound Level Meter that you
will use does not have this function, we will take a few readings during the period T
and average them to estimate the LAeq,T (see the ‘procedure’ section for details) .
One special case of LAeq,T is the Equivalent Sound Level over the period of 8 hours
(i.e., LAeq,8hrs ) . This is also referred to as the Daily Noise Exposure (LEP,d).
The Code of Practice for the Protection Hearing in Industrial Undertakings (published
by the Labour Department of Hong Kong,1989) sets out recommended limits to noise
exposure. The code states that no employee should be exposed to above a LEP,d (i.e.,
LAeq, 8hrs) of 90dBA (referred to as the ‘Second Action Level – p.6 of the Guidance
Notes on Noise at Work regulation) or a peak sound pressure of 140dB no matter how
short the exposure duration. The regulation also specify a ‘First Action Level’ when
the LEP,d reaches the level of 85dBA.
3.4 The calculation of LEP,d (i.e., LAeq, 8hrs ) using the concept of
fractional exposure
Because an operator is exposed to different noise levels throughout the day, we will
use the concept of Fractional Exposure (f) to determine the Daily Noise Exposure
Level (LEP,d).
A Fractional Exposure (f) is calculated for each period of working duration during which
the recorded sound-pressure level is above 75 dBA. The method of calculating the ‘f’
is as follows:

𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑟𝑠

𝑓=( ) ∗ 𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑔[0.1(𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞,𝑇 ∗ − 90𝑑𝐵𝐴)]
8 ℎ𝑟𝑠

*In this lab, the LAeq,T can be replaced by the average A-weighted Sound Pressure
Level (SPL) measured during the period T [See Point 4. of Procedure Part 2].
The total fractional exposure (Total f) is equal to the sum of the fractional exposures
(f). The total fractional exposure (Total f) can be converted to the daily noise exposure
LE,P,d (8 hr) using the following formula:

𝐿𝐸𝑃,𝑑 (8 ℎ𝑟𝑠) = [10 log(𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑓) + 90]𝑑𝐵𝐴

NB: LE,P,d (8 hr) = 85 dBA) is designated as the first action level, or the point at
which the employers are required to take steps to protect the workers’ hearing.

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3.5 Audiogram (hearing threshold) Measurement

In order to assess whether a person has suffered any loss to his / her hearing, an audiogram of
that person will be obtained. An audiogram is a plot of the hearing threshold (in dB) of the left
and the right ears as a function of frequencies. A 20 dB threshold of left ear at 1500Hz means
that the person cannot hear any sound at 1500Hz unless the magnitude is greater than, or equal
to, 20 dB. The smaller the threshold, the more sensitive is the ear. In industries where workers
are exposed to noise, audiograms of the workers will usually be measured once a year by an
Occupation Health and Safety Officer. In case of abnormal increase in hearing thresholds,
immediately remedies can be taken.
An audiogram is measured by presenting a subject with pure tone pulses (sound pulses at only
one frequency) of different magnitudes and obtain feedback on whether the subject can hear
the pulse or not. An audiometer is used for this purpose and a standard procedure is as follows:
1. start with sound at 1kHz,
2. present the subject with a tone of 0dB for about 5 seconds to the left ear and present a
masking * noise at a level of 5 dB higher than the testing tone to the other ear
simultaneously,
3. check whether the subject can hearing it. This is usually done via a response button
connected to a LED (Light Emitting Diode): if the subject can hear it, he / she will turn on
the LED and visa-versa,
4. if the subject cannot hear the tone, repeat steps 2 to 4 with a higher magnitude in step of
5dB(with masking noise always 5dB higher) until the subject CAN HEAR the tone. This
is the upper threshold for the selected frequency (initially 1kHz),
5. reduce the magnitude in step of 5dB and repeat steps 2 to 4. This time, repeat until the
subjects COULD NOT hear the tone. The dB level will be the lower threshold,
6. repeat the alternated measurements of upper and lower thresholds a few times (say 4),
7. take the AVERAGE of the four upper and lower thresholds,
8. the result will be the hearing threshold of the left ear at 1kHz,

* Masking: since sound can travel from one ear to the other through the skull, in
order to “disable” the other ear during the hearing test, a ‘masking’ noise is
presented to the other ear to mask off the sound of the pure tone used in the
test.

9. repeat steps 1 to 8 for the right ear,

10. repeat steps 1 to 9 for other frequencies in the following order: 500Hz, 2kHz, 4kHz and
8kHz. (You can customize Fig 3 on p.22 for your own usage)

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3.6 Active Noise Control

(source: Active control of sound -- Nelson, P.A. and Elliott, S.J.; Active noise control FAQ -- Christopher E. Ruckman)

Active noise control is a kind of sound field cancellation. In its simplest form, a control
system drives a speaker to produce a sound field that is an exact mirror-image the
offending sound (the "disturbance" or noise). The speaker thus "cancels" the
disturbance, and the net result is no sound at all. In practice, of course, active control
is somewhat more complicated.
In control systems parlance, the four major parts of an active control system are:
• The plant is the physical system to be controlled; typical examples are a
headphone and the air inside it, or air traveling through an air-conditioning duct.
• Sensors are the microphones, accelerometers, or other devices that sense the
disturbance and monitor how well the control system is performing.
• Actuators are the devices that physically do the work of altering the plant
response; usually they are electromechanical devices such as speakers or
vibration generators.
• The controller is a signal processor (usually digital) that tells the actuators what
to do; the controller bases its commands on sensor signals and, usually, on
some knowledge of how the plant responds to the actuators.
Active noise control usually occurs by one, or sometimes both, of two physical
mechanisms: "destructive interference" and "impedance coupling".
On one hand, you can say that the control system creates an inverse or "anti-noise"
field that "cancels" the disturbance sound field. The principle is called "destructive
interference." A sound wave is a moving series of compressions (high pressure) and
rarefactions (low pressure). If the high-pressure part of one wave lines up with the low-
pressure of another wave, the two waves interfere destructively and there is no more
pressure fluctuation (no more sound). Note that the matching must occur in both space
and time.
On the other hand, you can say that the control system changes the way the system
"looks" to the disturbance, i.e., changes its input impedance.
Consider the following analogy:
Picture a spring-loaded door - one that opens a few centimeters when you push on it,
but swings shut when you stop pushing. A person on the other side is repeatedly
pushing on the door so that it repeatedly opens and closes at a low frequency, say,
twice per second. Now suppose that whenever the other person pushes on the door,
you push back just as hard. Your muscles are heating up from the exertion of pushing
on the door, but the result is that the door moves less. Now, you could say that the
door opens and that you "anti-open" it to "cancel" the opening. But that wouldn't be
very realistic; at least, you would not actually see the door opening and anti-opening.
You would be more accurate to say that you change the "input impedance" seen on
the other side of the door: when the other person pushes, the door just doesn't open.
Active noise control works best for sound fields that are spatially simple such as low-
frequency sound waves traveling through a duct. ANC is useful for making noise
reduction headphones and active mufflers for industrial engine exhaust stacks.
Further reading if you are interested (link tested to be working on 11 Sep 2023):
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/atoms/files/case_study_active_control_of_fan_noise.pdf

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4 MATERIALS & APPARATUS

You will be using a high-precision sound level meter (DSM100) and the Madsen or
Amplovix Audiometer [the operational instruction for these equipment are shown at
the back of this instructions].

4.1 Sound Level meters (Appendix A)

The basic hand-held meter consists of a microphone, an amplifier with a weighting
network and a read-out device in the form of a meter or digital presentation. The
microphone converts the fluctuating sound pressure into a voltage which is amplified
and weighted (A, B, C etc.) or un-weighted (linear). The voltage then drives a meter or
digital read-out. In many instruments an octave or 1/3 octave band filter is incorporated,
to enable a frequency analysis to be performed. The signal would then by-pass the
weighting network and be fed into the read-out device via the frequency filters.

((set the response to FAST and use the open cell foam (the spherical cover) to cover
the micro-phone if the meter has one))

4.2 Audiometer (Appendix B & C)

A typical manually operated audiometer consists of a pure tone generator with level
and frequency adjustments (in dB and Hz respectively), a pair of calibrated headphone,
and a push button connected to a LED (Light emitted diode). It can also generate noise
for masking purposes. An automatic audiometer will contain a micro-processor which
is pre-programmed to follow the 10 measurement steps as documented on p.4.

4.3 Speakers
A pair of speakers will be used for demonstrating the use of active noise control. One
of the speakers will be used as noise producer and another will be used as a control
speaker.

4.4 Goldwave software

It is an audio editing software available from www.goldwave.com . In this lab, this
software is used in Part III for testing the idea of active noise control.
5 SUBJECTS
There is no subject involved in the noise assessment of the print shop. With the
audiogram measurement, the subjects will be yourselves and your team members.
Please be reminded that although being the experimenter is compulsory, being
a subject is on a voluntary basis. See Procedure for steps to obtain subject consent.

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6 PROCEDURE
6.1 Audiogram measurement (Part I)
[The objective of Part I is to measure the hearing thresholds of your team-mates
using an audiometer.]
1. Go to the Acoustic room for audiometric testing
2. Measure the LAeq, 30 seconds of the testing environment (see steps 3.4 on p.5 for
how to measure LAeq, 30 seconds).
3. Invite a team member to be the subject, explain the purpose of the
measurement to him / her
4. Ask the subject to read the attached subject consent form (on. P23) so that he
/ she will know their rights (extra copies of the consent form can be obtained
from the TAs)
5. Obtain the subject’s consent by asking the subject to sign the form
6. Counter sign the form yourself
7. Follow the 10 steps documented on p.6 to obtain an audiogram for your subject
[NB: Due to the time limit, please take measurements at 500, 1K, 2K and
4K Hz only AND ONE ear per subject is enough]
8. Rotate among yourselves as the experimenter so that each of you will have the
opportunity to operate the audiometer. [Each group should measure at least
FOUR different ears (one ear per person)]
(Under NO circumstance should a pure tone with a level greater than 80 dB be
presented to a subject) You should rarely need to use a level greater than 65dB.
6.2 Noise measurement at the University Print-shop (Part II)
[The objective of Part II is to make a simple noise assessment at the University Print-
shop and practice the calculation of the daily noise exposure (LEP,d). as required by the
‘Guidance Notes on Noise at Work regulation’ ]
1. Read Points 12 to 14, and 17 to 20 on p.25 to 27 of the Appendix E of the
Guidance Notes: Factories and Industrial Undertaking (Noise at Work)
regulation, Labour Department, HK (1998 edition). (A scanned copy can be
found at Appendix E at the back of this instruction).
2. The task is to measure the noise exposure of the workers in the PTC Print Shop.
A sample layout of this Room is shown in Fig 1 on p.15.
3. If you are using the DSM100 meter:
Set the Sound Level Meter to the ‘Low’ range, ‘A-weighting’, and ‘Fast response’
[This will enable you to measure low level sound using the ‘dBA’ unit]
4. Prove to the TA that you know how to operate the Sound Level Meter to measure
LAeq, 30s. according to the following procedures:
The measuring procedure for measuring LAeq, 30s (The equivalent sound level in
dBA during a period of 30 seconds):
For the DSM100 meter:
Take three readings within the 30 seconds period and take the average. This
average will be your LAeq, 30s reading.
5. Go to the Print Shop with the TA.

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[[In the Print shop, DO NOT touch any printing machinery nor any
printing material]]
6. Identify the ACTIVE noise source(s) in the Print Shop and the normal working areas
and mark them on Fig 1.
7. (Either copy-machines 1, 2, 3 or 4 MUST be in operation when you are taking the
measurement as it is the main source of noise. If all the machines are switched off
during the measurement, stop your measurement and wait until the machine is
back in operation. TAs can arrange to visit the Print shop at a later time.)
8. Update Fig 1 to suit the current layout of Print Shop.
9. Follow the procedure documented in points 12-14, and 17-20 of the Appendix E
of the Noise at Work Guidance Notes (NB: Points 12 in Appendix E). Determine
FOUR locations that you will measure the noise. [You will need to justify the
reason for your choice of the 4 locations in your report].
Please mark these 4 locations at Fig 1. Also, decide on the height at which you will
hold the Sound Level Meter.
10. Take noise measurement at the 4 locations determined in step 9.
(NB: For your safety, DO NOT get close to any moving parts of a Printing
machine)
Use the following measuring procedure to measure the LAeq,30s at EACH of the 4
locations:
For the DSM100 meter:
At each location and at AN APPROPRIATE HEIGHT, hold the DSM100 meter
‘at arm’s length’ and take three readings within a 30 seconds period. After these
3 readings, take the average. This average will be your LAeq,30s reading at that
location. (DO NOT stand between the measurement point and the noise
source because your body will disturb the noise transmission).
11. If this is a real noise assessment exercise, you would have asked the workers of
the print-shop to tell you whether the level of noise that you have been measuring
is the typical level or not. Also, you should ask them to estimate the % of time that
they are regularly exposed to that level of noise. Here in this lab, we do not want
to ask the workers because if we do, the workers will be asked the same question
twice a week for at least 3 weeks! So, instead, we will assume that the level of
noise that you have measured will last for 6.5hrs in a typical 8-hr working day. For
the rest of the 1.5 hrs, the level of noise will be 50dBA (see Point 5 in the RESULTS
section).
12. Remember to say THANK YOU to the staff at the PTC print-shop for allowing
you to take noise measurement.

<< NB: The noise assessment procedures in Part II have been much simplified
so as to reduce the period of measuring. In industry, the measuring period will
take hours and will be repeated over a period of time. >>

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6.3 Active Noise Control (Part III)

[The objective of Part III is to learn how to reduce noise level with simple digital signal
processing technique.]
1. Download “noise.wav” (a mono-sound file) from ‘Files’ on the CANVAS. This is
the noise recorded in print-shop.
2. Open the wave file with the sound editor software “Goldwave” in PC.
3. Put the PC speakers face to face (keep the distance between two speakers as
short as possible). Set the volume level to a setting that you find comfortable
with. Then keep this level setting unchanged for the rest of the experiment. Play
and listen to the wave file once in “Device controls”. Measure LAeq, 30s apart from
the speakers around 30cm. (N.B. You may need to modify the loop properties
from the “Control Properties” ( in the tool bar); and choose “loop”)
4. Select “View” menu and then select “Zoom 1:1”.
5. Open a NEW sound file. Select “Stereo” in “Channel”, “44100” in “Sampling
rate(Hz)”, “00:10.000” in “length(MM:SS.TTT)” (i.e., 10 seconds).
6. Copy “noise.wav” to the new sound file. Zoom the wave to 1:1. Then, you will
see that the wave appears in both left and right channels.
7. In “Edit” menu, select “Channel -> Left”. Now you can only edit signal in left
channel.
8. In “Effects” menu, select “Invert”. Then, you should see that the waveform of
left channel is inverted.
9. In “Edit” menu, select “Channel-> both”. Compare the waveform of left and right
channel.
10. Put the PC speakers face to face. Play your new sound file. Measure L Aeq, 30s
apart from the speakers around 30cm.
11. Save your newly created sound file (via USB or email).

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7 RESULTS [Total: 30%]

1. State the location and the level of background noise level in dBA during your
audiogram measurements in Part I.
2. Plot out ALL FOUR audiograms that you have measured (the frequency range can
be found in Section 5.1.7).
3. Complete the up-to-date print shop layout:
• with noise sources marked
• with the normal working area of the copying-machine operator marked
• with the 4 measurement points and their LAeq, 30s marked (with correct
unit!)
4. Calculate the average LAeq, 30s, for Part II (with the correct unit!)
5. Calculate the average LAeq, 30s, for with and without active noise control in Part III
(with the correct unit!). Then, calculate the noise reduction with active noise control.
6. For Part II: assuming that the operators in the UST’s print shop are exposed to the
level of sound the same as the calculated LAeq, 30s level (see Q4 above) for 6.5
hours within an 8 hrs working day. (You can assume that the noise exposure for
the remaining 1.5 hours is 50dBA). In other words, the noise exposure to the
workers during the whole 8-hr period can be summarized as follows (see p.3 and
4 of this instruction on the calculation of LEP,d) :

Total fractional exposure in 8-hrs =

[f1 for the 6.5hrs with noise at A-weighted SPL equal to the answer to Q4] + [f2 for
the remaining 1.5 hrs with noise at A-weighted SPL level of 50dBA]

Using the formulae stated on p.3 and 4 of this instruction, calculate the Daily noise
exposure LEP,d in dB(A) for the workers of UST’ print-shop.
[Since the noise level in the PTC print shop is not very high, please do NOT
ignore noise level less than 75dBA, i.e. calculate fractional exposure (f) for
ALL level of noise].

Hints for calculating f1:

Suppose in Q4, LAeq, 30s is measured as 78dBA, then you will have LAeq, 6.5hrs = 78dBA
according to the assumption stated in Q6 above. So, using the formula stated at the
bottom of p.3 of this instruction:
f1 = (time of exposure in hrs / 8 hrs) antilog [0.1 (LAeq,T* - 90dBA)]
= (6.5hrs / 8 hrs) antilog [0.1 (LAeq, 6.5hrs - 90dBA)]
= (6.5/8) antilog [0.1 (78dBA - 90dBA)]

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8 DISCUSSION [Total: 60%]

1) Read p.589 to 593 of the book ‘Human Factors in Engineering
Design’ by Sander and McCormick. From the 2 or more
audiograms that you have handed in or Q7.2, select two
audiograms: one represents the hearer with the MOST
SENSITIVE ear and one with the LEAST SENSITIVE ear.
Draw out your two selected audiogram as part of the answer and
draw on top of that audiogram the binaural minimum audible
field taken from Fig18-2, Sander and McCormick (1992). [5%]

2) EXPLAIN which audiogram that you have drawn for Q7.2

represents the MOST SENSITIVE ear [NB: as each group have
a different curve, there is no standard answer for this question,
the TA is looking to see whether you have the ability to make
observation on the data the you collected and analyze them
using your knowledge learnt from the lectures and books] [8%]

3) Explain the reason for your choice of the 4 measurement [4%]

locations in the PTC print-shop as marked by you in your layout
as well as the heights.

4) If we add 20dBA to the value of LEP,d calculated for Step 6 of

the results, do we need to take any action according to the
Guidance Notes on Noise at Work Regulation? If no, why not
and if yes, what actions are needed [NB: this answer will depend
on your measurement and can vary from teams to teams]. [8%]

5) In Part III, what is the result if the signal in left channel is added [2%]
to right channel (superposition of signal in left and right
channels)?

6) Why in Part III, the noise from the left channel cannot be totally [6%]
cancelled by that in the right channel in your experiment?

7) Read the case study about active noise control (ANC) of a fan
in the link below:
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/atoms/files/c
ase_study_active_control_of_fan_noise.pdf
(link checked to be working on 11 Sep 2023)

7a) Based on the case study, what are the main components [4%]
needed for active noise control? What are the functions of these
components?

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7b) Based on what you have learnt from the case study on active
noise control, please give some thoughts on the following design
of an active-noise cancellation HEADPHONES:
7b1) Please use a diagram to illustrate your design and the key [6%]
components of your design.

7b2) Discuss question: will your headphones work? (i.e., can it [8%]
reduce the noise?) Any restriction on the type of noise sources
and why?

8) Include (i) a brief ‘Conclusion Section’ summarizing what you [9%]

have learned as well as (ii) an abstract at the beginning of your
report.

***** Thank you and hope that you have learned something useful *****

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Figure 1. The floor plan of the Print Shop (please update it yourself after your visit to
the print-shop).

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9 Appendix
9.1 Appendix A - Instructions for the TES Model 1350 (or UEI Model DSM
100) Digital Sound Level Meter

Specifications:
• Applicable Standard: according to IEC651 Type2
• Measurement range:
Lo - 35 to 100dB
Hi - 65 to 130dB
• Resolution: 0.1 dB
• Typical Instrument frequency range: 30Hz to 12k Hz
• Frequency weighting: A and C
• Time response: Fast and Slow
• Maximum Hold: Holds noise readings, with decay < 1dB/3 minutes
• Microphone: 1/2” Electret condenser micro-phone
• Calibration: Internal oscillation system (1kHz sine wave general 94dB)
• Operating Temperature & humidity: 0°C to 50°C, Below 80% RH
• Low battery indication: The ‘BT’ is displayed when the battery voltage drops below
the operating voltage.
• Warning indications: “OVER” is shown when input is over or under the range.
• Weight: 215g

Prepare for measurement

• Select the Response to ‘F’
• Select the Function to ‘A’

Lp (Sound pressure level) measurement

• Select the range to ‘Lo’
• Place the meter’s microphone at the location that you want and pointing towards
the noise source.
• Reading the Sound Pressure Level from the LCD display.

ALWAYS SWITCH OFF THE UNIT WHEN NOT IN USE.

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9.2 Appendix B - Simplified instructions for operating the Madsen

Audiometer

1. Connect the head-set, response button to

the audiometer

2. Switch it on.

3. Press the ‘Menu’ button until the following appears on the LCD panel:

Select Function:
Tone Speech Special Patient

4. Press the push button labeled ‘1’ under the word ‘Tone’ to select pure tone. The
following will appear:

Tone O/P?
Air Bone F/F

5. Select ‘Air’ by pressing the push button labeled ‘1’ under the word ‘Air’. The
following will then appear:

(Tone, Air) Stim. Side?

Left Right L+R

6. The audiometer is asking for you to select which ear you want to test first. Let’s
assume that you want to test the left ear first, you should select ‘Left’ by pressing
the push button labeled ‘1’ under the word ‘Left’. The following will then appear:

(Tone, Air, Left) Masking?

No Mask Air

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7. You should select ‘Air’ by pressing the appropriate push button so as to set-up the
masking noise for the other ear. The following will then appear on the LCD display:

L: Tone Air Freq Air R: NBN

??dB C/p/w ????Hz ??dB

8. You should press the push button ONCE under the words ‘C/p/w’ so that it
becomes ‘c/P/w’. This means that you have selected ‘Pulse presentation’ (C:
continuous tone; P: pulsation tone; W: wave variation). The display should show:

L: Tone Air Freq Air R: NBN

??dB c/P/w ????Hz ??dB

9. You then need to select the frequency of the pure tone pulses. Let’s start with 1000
Hz. Rotating the knot labelled ‘Frequency’ to change the frequency to 1000Hz. The
display should reads:

L: Tone Air Freq Air R: NBN

??dB c/P/w 1000Hz ??dB

10. Change the Masking noise level to 25 dB by rotating the level knots on the right
hand side. The display should read:

L: Tone Air Freq Air R: NBN

??dB c/P/w 1000Hz 25dB

11. Change the magnitude of the pure tone pulse presentation to the starting level, say,
0dB. The display should reads:

L: Tone Air Freq Air R: NBN

0dB c/P/w 1000Hz 25dB

12. Press the push button labeled ‘reverse’ located under the push button labeled ‘5’.
This will turn the masking noise on permanently.
13. Ask the subject to sit comfortably and facing away from the audiometer so that he
/ she cannot see what the examiner is doing. Instruct the subject to press the
response button whenever he / she hears the pure tone pulses (not the masking
noise).

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14. Put the headset on the subject and give the hand-held response button to the
subject.
14b. Starting with a sound level of 0 dB
15. Present the pulse to the subject for about 5 seconds and observe whether the
subject can hear it.
16. If the subject cannot hear the tone, repeat step 15 with a higher magnitude in step
of 5dB until the subject can hear the tone (using the level knots). This is the upper
threshold for the selected frequency.
17. Reduce the magnitude in step of 5dB and repeat step 15. This time, repeat until
the subjects could not hear the tone. The dB level will be the lower threshold,
18. Repeat the alternated measurements of upper and lower thresholds a few times
(say 4) and you should be able to obtain a plot like Figure 2 (p.22).
19. Take the average of the four upper and lower thresholds,
20. The result will be the hearing threshold of the left ear at 1kHz,
21. Repeat steps 15 to 20 for the right ear. You can select the setting between the Left
and Right ear using a push button labelled ‘L/R’ (i.e. switch the masking and the
pulse presentation between the ears). [In this lab, you will measure EITHER left
OR right ear – NO need to do both]
22. Repeat steps 15 to 21 for other frequencies in the following order: 250Hz, 500Hz,
2kHz, and 4kHz. [In this Lab, due to the time limit, measurements are made at
selected frequencies only ]
23. Figure 3 (p.22) is an empty chart for you to photo-copy.

Remember: DO NOT use level greater than 80 dB!!

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9.3 Appendix C - Simplified instructions for operating the Amplivox

Audiometer

1. Connect the head-set, response button to the

audiometer

2. Press the ON switch situated on the back panel

and labeled ON. The “ON” light illuminates.
(To switch off, press the MENU and YES keys together and release.)

3. audiometer display:
On start-up the display will show the following setting:

SIGNAL dBHL FREQUENCY Hz MASKING dBHL

30 dB 1kHz OFF
< >< >

Thresholds
This indicates that when the PRESENT key is pressed, the tone presented will be
at 30 dBHL at a frequency of 1kHz (1000Hz) to the designated ear. On start up,
the audiometer defaults to the left ear.

4. Press the keys labeled “Left” or “Right” to select the ear. The “Left” or “Right” light
illuminates when you have selected it.

5. Press the keys that were labeled “Signal” to increase or decrease the
attenuation of the tone presented in 5dB steps. To scroll through the attenuation
range, keep the key pressed. Change the magnitude to the starting level, 0dB. The
display should read:
SIGNAL dBHL FREQUENCY Hz MASKING dBHL
0 dB 1kHz OFF
< >< >

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6. Press the keys that were labeled “Frequency” to lower or increase the
frequency. Put the magnitude to starting level, 1kHz.
SIGNAL dBHL FREQUENCY Hz MASKING dBHL
0 dB 1kHz OFF
< >< >
7. You should press the key “MASK” to switch on masking. The audiometer default is
30dB. Change the Masking noise level to 25 dB by press the keys that were
labeled “Masking” to increase or decrease masking in 5dB steps. The display
should read:
SIGNAL dBHL FREQUENCY Hz MASKING dBHL
0 dB 1kHz 25dB
< >< >
8. Ask the subject to sit comfortably and facing away from the audiometer so that he
/ she cannot see what the examiner is doing. Instruct the subject to press the
response button whenever he / she hears the pure tone pulses (not the masking
noise).
9. Put the headset on the subject and give the hand-held response button to the
subject. Starting with a sound level of 0 dB
10. Press the key “Pulse” for about 5 seconds and you can see that the “Present”
lighting is twinkling. It will present the pulse to the subject and you can observe
whether the subject can hear it. Present a masking noise at a level of 5 dB higher
than the testing tone to the other ear.
11. If the subject cannot hear the tone, repeat step 10 with a higher magnitude in step
of 5dB until the subject can hear the tone (using the “signal” keys). This is the upper
threshold for the selected frequency.
12. Reduce the magnitude in step of 5dB and repeat step 10. This time, repeat until
the subjects could not hear the tone. The dB level will be the lower threshold.
13. Repeat the alternated measurements of upper and lower thresholds a few times
(say 4) and you should be able to obtain a plot like Figure 2 (p.22).
14. Take the average of the four upper and lower thresholds,
15. The result will be the hearing threshold of the left ear at 1kHz,
16. Repeat steps 10 to 15 for the right ear. You can select the setting between the Left
and Right ear using the keys labeled “Left” or “Right” (i.e. switch the masking and
the pulse presenting between the ears). [In this lab, you will measure EITHER
left OR right ear – NO need to do both]
17. Repeat steps 10 to 16 for other frequencies in the following order: 500Hz, 2kHz,
4kHz and 8kHz. [In this Lab, due to the time limit, measurements are made at
selected frequencies only]
18. Figure 3 (p. 22) is an empty chart for you to photo-copy.

Remember: DO NOT use level greater than 80 dB!!

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Date: _XXXXXXXXXX___ Subject No. __XXXXXXXX_ Ear: left / right

Masking level: __25dB__

dB 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

-10
0
10
20
30
40
50

Average: 15dB 15dB 10dB 10dB 5dB 5dB 10dB

Remarks: ________________________________________________________________
Experimenter: _(sign)____XXXXXXXX______(print) __XXXXXXXXXXXXX____________

Figure 2. Sample audiogram for the left ear

Figure 5. Empty form for recording audiogram.

Date: ______________ Subject No. _____________ Ear: left / right

Masking level: ________

dB 125Hz 250Hz 500Hz 1000Hz 2000Hz 4000Hz 8000Hz

-
0
1
2
3
4
5

Average
:

Remarks: ________________________________________________________________
Experimenter: _(sign)____________________(print) ______________________________

Figure 3. Sample audiogram for one ear [This is just a sample, PLEASE amend the
Labeling on the audiogram to fit your usage
(e.g., the frequency values of the columns as specified in Section 6.1.7)

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9.4 Appendix D – Subject Consent Form for Subjects Taking Part in Lab
Experiments for IEDA3130

1. Name _________________________________ (Mr/Miss/ )

2. Are you feeling ill in any way? Yes / No

3. Have you suffered any serious illness? Yes / No

4. Are you under medical treatment or suffering disability affecting your

daily life? Yes / No

If you answer is ‘Yes’ to question (2), (3), or (4), please tell the experimenter and ask
him / her to find another classmate to be the subject.

DECLARATION
I consent to take part in an experiment. My replies to the above questions are correct
to the best of my belief, and I understand that they will be treated as confidential by
the experimenter.
I understand that I may at any time withdraw from the experiment and that I am
under no obligation to give reasons for withdrawal or to attend again for
experimentation.
I undertake to obey the regulations of the laboratory and instructions of the
experimenter regarding safety only to my right to withdraw declared above.
The purpose and methods of the research have been explained to me and I have had
the opportunity to ask questions.

Signature of Subject ______________________ Date ____________________

This experiment conforms to the requirement of the University Research Ethic
Committee. (Lab experiments for IEDA3130 have been approved by the Human
Subject Experimentation Committee)

Signature of Experimenter __________________ Date _____________________

(When completed this form should be handed in with your lab report).

Subject Consent Form - IEDA3130 lab / September 2023

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9.5 Appendix E – paragraphs taken from the guidance to Noise at Work

regulation

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