November 2004 (PDF 11.6 MB) - Barrick Gold Corporation

1 Policy framework1.1 Overview of the policyThe adverse effects of noise on communities are wellreported in the literature (for review see Berglund &Lindvall, eds, 1995). These vary from direct effects(including noise-induced hearing loss, speechinterference, sleep disturbance and annoyance), toindirect or secondary effects, such as long-termeffects on physical and mental health as a result oflong-term annoyance and prolonged disturbance tosleep. The World Health Organization defineshealth as a state of complete physical, mental, andsocial well-being, not just as the absence of disease(WHO 1947). Community reaction to noise has beennoted as a likely indirect cause of adverse healtheffects (Job 1996).The overall aim is to allow the need for industrialactivity to be balanced with the desire for quiet inthe community.The broad operating objectives involve requirementsto protect, restore and enhance the quality of theenvironment in New South Wales. In so doing, theEPA must have regard to the need to maintainecologically sustainable development, reduce therisks to human health and prevent the degradationof the environment. This policy seeks to promoteenvironmental well-being through preventing andminimising noise. It provides the framework andprocess for deriving noise limit conditions forconsents and licences that will enable the EPA toregulate premises that are scheduled under theProtection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.The specific policy objectives are:• to establish noise criteria that would protectthe community from excessive intrusive noiseand preserve amenity for specific land uses—these are set out in Section 2• to use the criteria as the basis for derivingproject specific noise levels• to promote uniform methods to estimate andmeasure noise impacts, including aprocedure for evaluating meteorologicaleffects—these are set out in Sections 3 to 6• to outline a range of mitigation measures thatcould be used to minimise noise impacts—these are set out in Section 7• to provide a formal process to guide thedetermination of feasible and reasonablenoise limits for consents or licences thatreconcile noise impacts with the economic,social and environmental considerations ofindustrial development—this is covered inSection 8• to carry out functions relating to theprevention, minimisation and control ofnoise from premises scheduled under the Act.1.2 Who is the policy for?The policy is technical in orientation and is directedtowards industry, acoustic practitioners and consentauthorities that require a degree of technicaldetail to assess impacts properly and developmitigation methods.Responsibility for applying the policy lies with:• the land-use planner (such as a local counciland the Department of Urban Affairs andPlanning—DUAP), through taking accountof likely impacts at an early stage in theplanning process so that incompatibledevelopments are appropriately located; also,in recognising the importance of maintainingseparation distances between industry andresidents. In locating potentially noisydevelopments, it is essential to recognise thatmitigation of the effects of noisy activitiesonce these are established will be limited bycost and design factors.• the land-use managers and regulators (suchas local government, DUAP and the EPA),who act as determining authorities and asregulators of land-use activities. Their role isin providing adequate regulation of noise topreserve amenity and in ensuringcompliance with noise conditions.NSW industrial noise policy1