THE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS OF ACOUSTICS - H. H. Arnold ...

346 13. Criteria and Regulations for Noise Control13.12 Guidelines and Regulations in the United States,Canada, Europe, and JapanThe most well-established of noise effect guidelines in the United States are thosepromulgated by the Federal Interagency Committee on Noise (FICON). FICONis composed of a number of federal agencies with interest in environmental noise[e.g., FAA and Department of Defense (DoD)]. The guidelines and recommendationsof FICON for “land-use compatibility” are couched in ranges of DNL.FICON considers noise exposure levels lower than L dn = 65 dB to “be compatiblewith most residential land uses.” However, FICON does confess its realization thatthis limitation may be somewhat too high in highly rural areas where it would bemore appropriate to characterize the effects of noise pollution not in acoustic termsbut rather in terms of annoyance.On the international scene, a major degree of consensus has evolved over theyears as to what constitutes unacceptable levels of noise exposure. In the mid1980s the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2suggested a standard guideline value for average outdoor noise levels of 55 dB(A),which pertains to normal daytime in order to prevent significant interference withnormal activities of local communities. According to OECD:1. At 55–60 dB(A) noise creates annoyance.2. At 60–65 dB(A) annoyance increases considerably.3. Above 65 dB(A) constrained behavior patterns occur, symptomatic of seriousdamage by noise.The World Health Organization (WHO) listed additional guidelines in 1996for noise exposure in dwellings, schools, hospitals, concert halls, and so on. Theexposure levels are given in terms of the time average A-weight sound level L eq .For example, a private bedroom should sustain a sound level no higher than L eq =30 dB(A) at night in order to promote undisturbed sleep; and the background noiselevel in a classroom should be no greater than L eq = 35 dB(A) to facilitate theteaching processes.Workplace Noise ExposureIn the United States the passage of the Noise Control Act of 1970 gave rise toOSHA regulations, which are described in Section 13.3. In Europe, the Council ofEuropean Communities issued a Council Directive 86/188/EEC on May 12, 1986,which sets the guidelines on the protection of workers from the risks related toexposure to noise at work. This directive does not prejudice the right of members ofEU to introduce or apply even stricter provisions that reduce the permissible levelsof noise. For an 8-h day, under the provisions of 86/188/EEC, a worker should2 While its name indicates its mission, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developmentalso concerns itself with environmental matters. Its membership includes industrial nations fromNorth America, Europe, and Asia.