Noise and Groundborne Vibration Services
ECORP offers Noise and Groundborne Vibration Services to help project proponents comply with CEQA, NEPA, OSHA/CalOSHA, and other environmental regulations. These services fall into four categories:
- Noise Analysis includes the consideration of the applicable noise standards affecting a project, and the mitigation of the contribution to long-term operational noise over existing conditions.
- Real-time and Event Noise Monitoring during construction, facility operations, or a particular event.
- Groundborne Vibration Assessments to determine effects to buildings or other structures.
- Occupational Noise Exposure including OSHA and Cal/OSHA Hearing Conservation studies, to evaluate workplace sound levels, employee exposures, and compliance with regulatory standards.
Noise Analysis and Modeling Services
CEQA and NEPA require project proponents to generate noise impact assessment reports that include noise analysis and noise modeling calculations.
This requires a variety of different services, including:
- Baseline Ambient Noise Analysis
- Stationary-source Noise Modeling
- Traffic and Other Mobile-source Noise Modeling
- Construction Noise Modeling
- Operational Noise Modeling
- Noise Mitigation Design and Modeling
ECORP creates noise impact assessments that comply with CEQA, NEPA, and local regulations as outlined in municipal general plans and design strategies such as recommending sound barrier walls to mitigate the impact of noise and groundborne vibrations on human communities and nearby wildlife.
Real-time and Event Noise Monitoring Services
ECORP offers both regulatory and non-regulatory, low-cost real-time and event noise monitoring services.
Realtime noise monitoring services include continual monitoring of outcoming noise at a project site/event. Sometimes this will be required by state or local government agencies to ensure noise remains below legal levels, especially in residential and commercial areas.
At other times, project proponents monitor outgoing noise in order to be good neighbors or generate positive publicity for their business or brand.
Event noise monitoring is a similar service that requires real-time monitoring of noise but only during a specific period of time when an event is taking place, such as a concert, sporting event, or other event. This is often performed at amphitheaters, stadiums, and similar facilities.
Occupational Noise Exposure Assessments
ECORP offers occupational noise exposure assessments for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Cal/OSHA compliance. Assessing noise exposure involves measuring employee noise exposure using personal dosimetry or spot measurements. Exposure is a function of duration and decibel level, expressed as a Time-Weighted Average (TWA) typically over an 8-hour shift. The table shows the permissible noise exposure TWA limits for every 5 dB increase, starting at 90 dBA.
Should an employee be overexposed, the employer is required to implement a Hearing Conservation Program (HCP), which includes annual audiometric testing, training, and the provision of hearing protection. If an employee is exposed to 90 dBA TWA or greater, the employer must implement engineering and/or administrative controls to reduce exposure levels, and hearing protection becomes mandatory. ECORP’s Noise Services Group can assist employers in developing and implementing HCPs and training to ensure compliance.
OSHA Permissible Noise Exposure TWA Limits – 5 dB Exchange Rate
| Sound Level, dBA | Duration per day, hours |
|---|---|
| 90 | 8 |
| 95 | 4 |
| 100 | 2 |
| 105 | 1 |
| 110 | ½ |
| 115 | ¼ or less |
A Look at ECORP’s State-Of-The-Art Sound Meters
ECORP performs both real-time and event noise monitoring using state-of-the-art Class 1 Larson Davis Soundtrack LXT 1 Class 1 Sound Level Meter. This is the highest level of technological hardware currently available for noise monitoring and satisfies the American National Standards Institute standards for general environmental noise measurement instrumentation.
However, the use of these sound meters is expensive and makes mass deployment challenging. To save costs for fenceline monitoring of large areas in real-time or during a scheduled event, ECORP uses low-cost (non-precision, non-regulatory grade) sound level sensors. These can be more feasibly and cost-effectively deployed over large-scale monitoring sites, providing an enhanced number of data points while providing accurate results and decreased expenditures.
ECORP’s low-cost sound level sensors can be attached to commodity data acquisition and transmission hardware to provide real-time sound level measurements viewable on an online portal, thus providing continual data throughout the noise monitoring campaign.
Groundborne Vibration Assessments
Sources of earthborne vibrations include natural phenomena (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sea waves, landslides) or human-made causes (e.g. explosions, machinery, traffic, trains, construction equipment).
When these groundborne vibrations reach a certain threshold, they become annoying and can frequently cause irritating secondary vibrations, such as a slight rattling of windows, doors, or stacked dishes, and when substantial rumbling occurs, entire buildings can actually shake and incur structural damage.
CEQA requires project proponents to provide groundborne vibration assessments as part of noise impact assessment reports. To comply with CEQA regulations, ECORP calculates potential groundborne vibration levels at certain distances from a project site.
Based on these assessments, we design groundborne vibration mitigation strategies to protect surrounding infrastructure, human communities, and wildlife as needed.
Text alternative: vibration table
Table title: Relationship Between Vibration Velocity, Human Reaction, and Effect on Buildings.
| Peak Particle Velocity (inches/second) | Approximate Vibration Velocity Level (VdB) | Human Reaction | Effect on Buildings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.006–0.019 | 64–74 | Range of threshold of perception | Vibrations unlikely to cause damage of any type |
| 0.08 | 87 | Vibrations readily perceptible | Recommended upper level to which ruins and ancient monuments should be subjected |
| 0.1 | 92 | Continuous vibrations may begin to annoy people, especially in vibration-sensitive activities | Virtually no risk of architectural damage to normal buildings |
| 0.2 | 94 | Vibrations may begin to annoy people in buildings | Risk of architectural damage to normal dwellings |
| 0.4–0.6 | 98–104 | Vibrations considered unpleasant, unacceptable to some people walking on bridges | Architectural damage and possibly minor structural damage |
Groundborne Vibration Assessments
Sources of earthborne vibrations include natural phenomena (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sea waves, landslides) or human-made causes (e.g. explosions, machinery, traffic, trains, construction equipment).
When these groundborne vibrations reach a certain threshold, they become annoying and can frequently cause irritating secondary vibrations, such as a slight rattling of windows, doors, or stacked dishes, and when substantial rumbling occurs, entire buildings can actually shake and incur structural damage.
CEQA requires project proponents to provide groundborne vibration assessments as part of noise impact assessment reports. To comply with CEQA regulations, ECORP calculates potential groundborne vibration levels at certain distances from a project site.
Based on these assessments, we design groundborne vibration mitigation strategies to protect surrounding infrastructure, human communities, and wildlife as needed.
Relationship Between Vibration Velocity, Human Reaction, and Effect on Buildings.
| Peak Particle Velocity (inches/second) | Approximate Vibration Velocity Level (VdB) | Human Reaction | Effect on Buildings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.006–0.019 | 64–74 | Range of threshold of perception | Vibrations unlikely to cause damage of any type |
| 0.08 | 87 | Vibrations readily perceptible | Recommended upper level to which ruins and ancient monuments should be subjected |
| 0.1 | 92 | Continuous vibrations may begin to annoy people, especially in vibration-sensitive activities | Virtually no risk of architectural damage to normal buildings |
| 0.2 | 94 | Vibrations may begin to annoy people in buildings | Risk of architectural damage to normal dwellings |
| 0.4–0.6 | 98–104 | Vibrations considered unpleasant, unacceptable to some people walking on bridges | Architectural damage and possibly minor structural damage |
Text alternative: vibration table
Table title: Relationship Between Vibration Velocity, Human Reaction, and Effect on Buildings.
| Peak Particle Velocity (inches/second) | Approximate Vibration Velocity Level (VdB) | Human Reaction | Effect on Buildings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.006–0.019 | 64–74 | Range of threshold of perception | Vibrations unlikely to cause damage of any type |
| 0.08 | 87 | Vibrations readily perceptible | Recommended upper level to which ruins and ancient monuments should be subjected |
| 0.1 | 92 | Continuous vibrations may begin to annoy people, especially in vibration-sensitive activities | Virtually no risk of architectural damage to normal buildings |
| 0.2 | 94 | Vibrations may begin to annoy people in buildings | Risk of architectural damage to normal dwellings |
| 0.4–0.6 | 98–104 | Vibrations considered unpleasant, unacceptable to some people walking on bridges | Architectural damage and possibly minor structural damage |
Contact ECORP to Learn More about Our Noise and Groundborne Vibration Services
ECORP has provided noise and groundborne vibration services to hundreds of clients and helped them successfully receive the permits needed to begin their next project.
From noise analysis and modeling before construction to noise monitoring during operations to groundborne vibrations assessments at every stage of your project, ECORP provides a full range of noise and groundborne vibration services.
Contact ECORP today to learn more about our noise and groundborne vibration services.