Methodology for noise control at the workplace—European and International standards

In the 1990s, an intensive standardization effort in the field of industrial acoustics took place within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) with the objective to cover the entire field of occupational noise, from sound sources (machinery) to noise exposure of workers. This lead to the drafting of three groups of key International Standards (ISO) which were adopted word for word as European standards (EN ISO) closely linked to European regulation: • Group 1 on noise sources: the ISO 11688 series (2 standards) on the design of low-noise machinery, the ISO 3740 (8 standards), ISO 9614 (3 standards) and ISO 11200 (6 standards) series on the measurement of noise emission from machinery, ISO 4871 on noise declaration and a large number of noise test codes for machinery families; • Group 2 on technical means to reduce noise along its propagation path: a series of 8 ISO standards dealing with the design of technical means to reduce noise at the workplace (i.e. enclosures, cabins for the personnel, screens, silencers) and the measurement of their noise control performance; • Group 3 on workplace noise: the ISO 11690 series (3 standards) on the design of low-noise workplaces, ISO 14257 on the characterization of the acoustical performance of rooms (sound decay curves) and ISO 9612 on the measurement of occupational noise exposure. As a whole, these standards back the strategy for occupational noise control that is recognized worldwide but not necessarily implemented. Starting from the fact that designing low-noise machinery will ultimately reduce the noise levels to which workers are exposed around the world, this strategy is based on the market forces acting between the main parties involved i.e. machinery designers, machinery users, national and regional authorities and occupational health and safety experts with the technical assistance of noise consultants.