November 2004 (PDF 11.6 MB) - Barrick Gold Corporation

Table 3.1. Methods for determining background noiseFeaturesMethodWhen to useType of monitoringLength ofmonitoringConditions formonitoringMonitoring locationAssessment timeperiodsLong-termDuring planning and approval stagewhere there is significant potential fornoise impact, e.g. extractive industriesand industrial developments.Continuous sampling accompanied byperiods of operator-attended monitoringEquivalent to one week’s worth of validdata covering the days and times ofoperation of the development (SeeSection 3.5)Average wind speed < 5 m/s 1 , no rain, noextraneous noise (See Sections 3.1.2and 3.4)Most or potentially most affected noisesensitivelocation/sDay (0700–1800)Evening (1800–2200)Night (2200–0700)(See Section 3.3 for exceptions)Short-termDuring complaint assessments, compliancechecks, when determining the effect ofbackground noise on a source noisemeasurement and for low riskdevelopments.Individual sampling—operator-attendedmeasurements15-minute measurements covering thetimes of operation of the developmentAverage wind speed < 5 m/s 1 , no rain, noextraneous noise (See Sections 3.1.2 and3.4)Most affected noise-sensitive locationand/or location of complaintTimes when maximum impacts occurBase measure L A90,15 minuteL A90,15 minuteAnalysis method Determine the assessment backgroundlevel for each day, evening and night byusing the tenth percentile method.The rating background level is themedian assessment background levelover all days for each period.Note:1. Refers to the wind speed at the microphone height.The rating background level is themeasured L A90,15 minutevalue, or, where anumber of measurements have beenmade, the lowest L A90, 15 minutevalue.NSW industrial noise policy23