What are the standards for industrial noise pollution?

The VLAREM II regulation of the Government of Flanders concerning environmental licensing makes a distinction between standards for noise pollution in the open air and indoors.

Outdoors, the following maximum noise levels apply for areas located less than 500 metres from industrial areas:

• In daytime, from 7am to 7pm: 50dB(A)
• In the evening, from 7pm to 10 pm: 45dB (A)
• At night, from 10 pm to 7 am: 40db(A)

In practice, what does that mean? That the noise level cannot be more than a loud whisper.

There should be even less noise pollution indoors. In this respect, the noise limits are as follows:

• In daytime, from 7am to 7pm: 36dB(A)
• In the evening, from 7pm to 10 pm: 31dB (A)
• At night, from 10 pm to 7 am: 31db(A)

That’s even quieter than whispering!

It is by no means easy to mute heavy industrial processes and machinery in such a way that you can barely hear them half a kilometre away. The occurrence of noise nuisance first requires the identification of the problem areas and then remedying them with practical solutions. What’s more, since no two companies are the same, a customised acoustic solution is an absolute must. 

What you are looking for are sustainable solutions with a long life cycle that minimise your impact on the environment and that comply with current VLAREM standards.Let’s take a look at how industrial noise control works. 

The benefits of industrial noise control

The less noise your business makes, the better, right? There are several stakeholders who share this view.

For starters, there are fewer complaints from local residents who hear your machines running, all the way into their homes or gardens.

In addition to the local residents, your employees also enjoy the benefits of noise abatement. Loud environments not only cause hearing damage, but also stress that leads to a higher heart rate and blood pressure. The consequences are obvious: employees eventually struggle with a lack of energy and motivation.

Finally, there is the issue of the environment. By reducing your noise ‘pollution’ of the environment, you have a positive impact on biodiversity.

How do you start reducing industrial noise levels?

Reducing your noise levels is not something you do alone, but always in collaboration with an accredited partner. DOX Noise Control has already provided many industrial players with noise protection solutions, always with successful results.

The first step in any noise control process is to look at the baseline situation. Which factors are currently causing noise pollution in the environment? And, above all: what are the noise levels? An excess of 5dB is resolved much faster than a 20dB excess.

You should hire the services of a specialist acoustics consultancy firm to perform a thorough survey. They will measure levels professionally and identify any problem areas. 

You can then contact us to implement actual applications and solutions. We will provide bespoke advice based on the findings of the consultancy firm. A plan will then be immediately set in motion to eliminate the noise nuisance. 

In short: in collaboration with the expert, you draw up a comprehensive action plan, expressly tailored to your company and the associated processes. This plan contains all the solutions that will ensure that noise pollution becomes a thing of the past. These include:

• Ventilation grilles for equipment rooms, factories or cooling towers.
• Housings that dampen noise from engines or generators.
• Soundproofing panels that can be used in various ways in loading and unloading zones or around heavy machinery.
• Silencers that can be used just about anywhere in an industrial setting.Each of these solutions is created for the specific needs of an industrial environment.

What is your noise-control plan?

DOX has been providing industrial players with noise control solutions for more than 40 years. This means that we have extensive experience in dealing with noise pollution. 

Do you have some noise control challenges of your own? Contact us! Together, we will make your noise nuisance disappear.