Simply defined, noise is unwanted sound. Efforts to manage noise in industrial spaces range from hearing protection for workers to blocking, breaking, absorbing, or isolating the noise at the source. Beyond managing noise in industrial processes, businesses have historically sought to reduce noise by adaptive measures such as installing absorptive panels on walls, hanging baffles, or mounting sound absorbing materials on ceilings.
More enlightened approaches to reduce noise levels include following guidelines by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH’s) Buy Quiet website and consulting the NIOSH purchasing roadmap to inform the purchase of low-noise equipment. Selecting equipment with lower noise levels is a highly effective solution that makes good economic sense, considering that if equipment operates more quietly, little or no future investment will be required to address sound level safety concerns. A common approach for addressing equipment noise is to build an enclosure around it, such as the industrial enclosures surrounding compressor stations, to trap sound and hinder its opportunity to emit into surrounding areas. If the enclosure does not prove effective, a next step may be adding absorption around the equipment. However, this approach can present other issues if the absorptive strategy interferes with cooling of the equipment.