CHAPTER 2

ENVIRONTAL NOISE
EAR COMPONENT
 HOW HUMAN UNDERSTAND
AND ANALYSE THE SOUND

Outer ear Middle ear Inner ear

1. Sound sources move/
transfer in form of 1. 3 stone (Malleus, Incus
vibration and air waves.
2. It will go through
auditory canal with
contain fine hair that
will determine the
sound intensity.
3. The sound vibration
then touch the eardrum.
The eardrum will vibrate
following the sound
vibration.
1. Auditory nerve will
& stapes) which is joined then convert the
to each other will mechanical energy
transfer the sound (vibration) into
vibration from the electrical energy (in
eardrum into the inner form of impulse).
ear. 2. The nerve system will
send the impulse to
human brain to be
analyzed.
 EFFECT OF NOISE TO HUMAN
Factors that can convert sound to noise

 INTENSITY
 FREQUENCY
 SOUND DURATION/ NOISE
SOUND
EXPOSURE.
 TONE CONTENTS
 LOCATION OF THE
NOISE
 DISTANCE OF SOUND
SOURCE
 INTENSITY
High intensity sound will cause loud sound.

FREQUENCY
Sound with high frequency level are easy to be heard by normal human ears.

SOUND DURATION/EXPOSURE
Exposure to sound in a long time will cause disturbance of human life.

TONE CONTENT
Sound with information cause less disturbance compare to sound that content
unclear and not easy to understand.

LOCATION OF THE SOUND

Sound source that is far from human is less disturbing.
Source with several location will cause great disturbance.

DISTANCE OF SOUND SOURCE.

Indirect proportion with intensity.
Sound source that is far cause less noise.
 NOISE AND ITS EFFECTS
Noise is unwanted & loud sound.
Noise can be produced by many
Definition of sources - man's vocal cord, a running
noise engine, a vibrating loudspeaker, an
operating machine, and so on.

Damage to the ears

1. Reduce/loss of hearing
2. Speech interference.

Disturb health and way of life.

Effects of noise to
human
1. Reduce work performances
2. Sleep disturbance
3. Disturb health
 It can cause the voice of
1. Difficult to
the speaker difficult to
understand 1. Temporary deaf
be heard.
2. Impression of 2. Permanent deaf
direction is lost.
SPEECH
INTERFERENCE
DISTURB LOSS OF HEARING
HEARINGAN (FISIOLOGY)

NOISE EFFECT ON
HUMAN DAILY LIFE
SLEEPING
HEALTH DISTURBANCE
DISTURBANCE REDUCE WORK
PERFORMANCE

1. Disturb deep sleep

Increase the % of sufferer
1. Blood circulation problem
2. Heart problem
3. Balancing problem
2. Depends on the age,
1. Jeopardize the work
gender and the quality of
quality.
sleep factors.
2. Lack of concentration /
SOUND LEVEL, REQUENCY AND HEARING
ENVIRONMENT.
 METHODS OF EVALUATE THE
ACOUSTIC
INTERFERENCE/DISTURBANCE

There are a few index level in measuring the level of

interference/disturbance(sound or vibration)

1. SPEECH INTERFERENCE LEVEL (SIL)

2. NOISE CRITERIA (NC)
3. SOUND LEVEL (SL)
4. NOISE POLLUTION LEVEL (NPL)
5. NOISE REDUCTION (NR)
6. SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS (STC)
 SOUND INTEFERENCE LEVEL
(ARAS GANGGUAN PERBUALAN) (SIL)

1. It describes how far a person can hear

clearly in different back ground noise level.

2. This index measures the ability sound

interferes the communication between 2
people in a room
SOUND INTEFERENCE LEVEL
(ARAS GANGGUAN PERBUALAN) (SIL)

The SIL graph shows

the relationship
between SIL and
distance.
 The SIL index helps
to determine the speech
interference level when
2 people communicate
at certain distances.
 4 normal, raised,
very loud or shouting
voice to be understood.
 NOISE CRITERIA
(KRITERIA KEBISINGAN) (NC)

• (NC) is a single numerical index commonly used to define

design goals for the maximum allowable noise in a given
space.

• NC index is widely used in measuring the disturbance of

build environment (inside and outside of the buildings)

• Index NC is widely used in measuring noise inside or outside

of the buildings.
Choosing an appropriate noise criteria is important when specifying acceptable levels of
noise. Most organizations use a particular index based upon practical experience.
Recommended maximum noise levels for different types of rooms and standards are
indicated in the table below

Noise Noise
Type of Room - Occupancy Criterion Rating db(A)
- NC - - NR -
Concert and opera halls,
recording studios, theaters, 10 - 20 20 25 - 30
etc.
Private bedrooms, live
theaters, television and radio
Very quiet studios, conference and 20 - 25 25 25 - 30
lecture rooms, cathedrals and
large churches, libraries, etc.
Private living rooms, board
rooms, conference and lecture 30 - 40 30 30 - 35
rooms, hotel bedrooms
Public rooms in hotels, small
Quiet 30 - 40 35 40 - 45
offices classrooms, courtrooms
Drawing offices, toilets,
Moderate bathrooms, reception areas,
35 - 45 40 45 - 55
noisy lobbies, corridors, department
stores, etc.
Kitchens in hospitals and
hotels, laundry rooms,
Noisy computer rooms, canteens, 40 - 50 45 45 - 55
The criteria curves define the limits of octave band spectra
that must not be exceeded to meet occupant acceptance in
certain spaces
 NOISE CRITERIA (NC)

NC SURROUNDINGS ASSUMPTION
< NC 25 VERY QUIET
NC 25 - NC35 QUIET
NC 35 - NC 45 MODERATELY QUIET
NC 45 - NC 50 MODERATELY NOISY
NC 50 - NC 55 NOISY
NC 55 - NC 70 LOUD
 Typical NC values
Application NC Curve
Conference
25 - 35
rooms
Hospitals /
30 - 40
Libraries
General
35 - 45
offices
 SOUND LEVEL
The SOUND LEVEL METER measures the strength of
sound. The unit is in decibels (dB) and is usually
measured with a dB meter. The threshold of quiet sound is
zero dB and the onset of painful sound is 100 dB
The sound level depends on the distance between the
sound source and the  place of measurement, possibly one
ear of a listener.

Sound level meters

measure sound pressure level and
are commonly used in noise
pollution studies for the
quantification of almost any noise,
but especially for industrial,
 HEARING ASSUMPTION ON SOUND
LEVEL

SOUND LEVEL HEARING ASSUMPTION

Around 120 dB deafening

around 100dB Very loud

SEKITAR 80 loud

SEKITAR 50 quiet
 HEARING ASSUMPTION ON SOUND
LEVEL

HEARING
SOUND LEVEL(dB) ASSUMPTION
Whispering & private
44-69 talk
50-75 Normal voice
56-81 Loud voice
62-87 High voice
68-93 Shouts
 NOISE POLLUTION LEVEL (NPL)

• This pollution is increasing due to the rise in the

utilization of heavy duty machineries of industrial
facilities and vehicles.

• the degree of loudness of annoying or physically

dangerous noise in a person’s environment, taken as
a measurement.

• Noise pollution can affect health, yet the effects

are very difficult to quantify. It is believed that
persistent exposure to noise, especially at night,
may lead to psychological distress
A guide to noise levels is:
normal conversation 50 - 60 dB(A)
a loud radio 65 - 75 dB(A)
a busy street 78 - 85 dB(A)
a heavy lorry about 7 meter away 95 - 100
dB(A)
a pighouse at feeding time 110 dB(A)
a chain saw 115 - 120 dB(A)
a jet aircraft taking off 25 meter away 140
dB(A). (HSE, 2000
Combinations of noise exposure levels and maximum duration time
are expressed in the table below:
91 2
92 1 35
Duration Time - t - (s)
Exposu 93 1 16
re 94 1
Level Minute Second
Hours 95 47 37
(dBA) s s
96 37 48
97 30
80 25 24
98 23 49
81 20 10 99 18 59
82 16 100 15
83 12 42 101 11 54
84 10 5 102 9 27
85 8 103 7 30
104 5 57
86 6 21
105 4 43
87 5 2
106 3 45
88 4 107 2 59
89 3 10 108 2 22
90 2 31 109 1 53
110 1 29
111 1 11
NOISE POLLUTION LEVEL (NPL)
Sumber: Jabatan Alam Sekitar. (1998). Laporan kualiti alam sekeliling.
Jadual 1: Pencemaran bunyi di
bandar-bandar utama di Malaysia
Bandar 1998 1992
Klang 83.8 83
Johor Bahru 82.3 81.3
Kuala 81.3 81
Lumpur
Kuala 80.1 79.6
Terengganu
Ipoh 78.9 78.3
Alor Setar 78.8 76.6
Kota Bharu 78.6 77.6
Pulau 80.5 73.1
Pinang
 NOISE REDUCTION
• NOISE REDUCTION IS THE PROCESS OF REMOVING NOISE FROM
A SIGNAL
• NOISE REDUCTION CAN REDUCE CONSTANT BACKGROUND
SOUNDS SUCH AS HUM, WHISTLE, WHINE, BUZZ, AND "HISS",
SUCH AS TAPE HISS, FAN NOISE OR FM/WEBCAST CARRIER
NOISE. IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR INDIVIDUAL CLICKS AND POPS,
OR IRREGULAR BACKGROUND NOISE SUCH AS FROM TRAFFIC
OR AN AUDIENCE.TO USE NOISE REDUCTION, YOU NEED A
REGION IN THE WAVEFORM THAT CONTAINS ONLY THE NOISE
YOU WANT TO REDUCE.
 SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS
Sound Transmission Class rates a partition’s resistance to airborne sound transfer
at the speech frequencies (125-4000 Hz). The higher the number, the better the
isolation. Transmission loss is the number of sound decibels that are stopped by a wall or
other structure at a given frequency. In the graph below, the green line represents the
transmission loss of a wall at different frequencies. 
Sound Transmission Class (STC):
TL measurements for a door are taken across a range of frequencies, which makes it
difficult to compare the effectiveness of different doors. Sound transmission class (STC)
ratings solve that problem by giving a single value to acoustical performance for a
doorThe higher the STC value, the better the rating and the better the performance
CONTROL MEASURES
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND
EMPLOYERS CAN TAKE THE
FOLLOWING ACTIONS TO REDUCE
NOISE IN THE WORKPLACE.
CONSIDER THESE SOLUTIONS WHEN
CREATING YOUR HEARING LOSS
PREVENTION PROGRAM:
• BUY QUIET - SELECT AND PURCHASE LOW-
NOISE TOOLS AND MACHINERY

• MAINTAIN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

ROUTINELY (SUCH AS LUBRICATE GEARS)

• REDUCE VIBRATION WHERE POSSIBLE

• ISOLATE THE NOISE SOURCE IN AN

INSULATED ROOM OR ENCLOSURE

• PLACE A BARRIER BETWEEN THE NOISE

SOURCE AND THE EMPLOYEE

• ISOLATE THE EMPLOYEE FROM THE

SOURCE IN A ROOM OR BOOTH (SUCH AS
SOUND WALL OR WINDOWS)
What type of PPE should be used?
PPE such as earplugs and earmuffs should be used as a last resort after all efforts to
eliminate or reduce the source of the noise have been exhausted. 

list of activities and sectors of

guide list of items of PPE to
activity, which may require the
prevent noise induced hearing
protection of personal protective
loss these include:
equipment.  These include:
•Earplugs and similar devices
•Full acoustic helmets
•Earmuffs which can be fitted to industrial helmets
•Work with metal presses •Ear defenders with receiver for LF induction loop
•Ear protection with intercom equipment
•Work with pneumatic drills
•Work with turbines
•The work of ground staff at airports
•Pipe-driving work
•Wood and textile work
NOISE DISTRIBUTION
THROUGH AIR
CONSTRUCTION SITE NOISE
TRANSPORTATION NOISE