**2.4 Other types of noise sources**

Other noise sources include industrial noise, noise caused by various construction work, and noise produced by different music and sports events.

Industrial noise (shown in **Figure 8**) is the amount of acoustic energy received by the human hearing system while working at the industrial hall. Occupational noise or industrial noise is a common term used when it comes to occupational

#### **Figure 8.** *An example of industrial site which produces industrial noise.*

safety, since prolonged exposure to this type of noise can cause various health problems (e.g., annoyance, loss of concentration, sleep disorders, headaches, etc.). The worst consequence of prolonged exposure to this type of noise is permanent hearing impairment. Bearing in mind all the above, it can be concluded that this kind of noise certainly affects work efficiency.

When considering noise caused by different construction sites which are shown in **Figure 9**, this type of noise can have extremely high noise levels. Furthermore, such noise levels are very variable given that the construction process has many different phases. Thus, depending on the type and phase of construction, this category of noise can have indoor and outdoor noise sources and sometimes both at the same time. Activities on construction sites include the use of hammers, off-road trucks, cement mixers, cement cutters, electric saws, welding machines, as well as noise generated by hand tools such as a drill. Therefore, such noise represents a challenge for the workers and in addition for the population located near the construction site. This type of noise may have health consequences identical to those described in the previous section for the case of industrial noise.

Musical events are very dynamic (see **Figure 10**). In this case, the sound engineer plays a key role in ensuring that the audience gets the full experience of a music event by mixing the music. The order of the songs is usually strategically set in a way that higher levels of tempo or dynamics and energy remain until the end of the night, which represents a certain kind of "peak" of the concert. Naturally, the sound engineer will want to raise the sound levels as much as possible, so it can be

**83**

will take place.

**Figure 9.**

*Traffic Noise*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92892*

expected that the noise levels will increase as the night passes. In addition, stage orientation plays a significant role in sound propagation. If the concert takes place outdoors, the reality is of course that people who are not actually present at the concert site, however live near, will hear the music. In that case it has to be noted that the music impact will be minimal at a distance of more than a mile or two from the concert site, so this type of noise could be annoying or unpleasant (especially if one does not prefer the music performed by an artist). The concert will certainly not be suspended due to a complaint from only one person living relatively near the concert site. Licensing of open-air concerts by the competent authority is a well-established process. Therefore, one can expect only a few concerts a year from a particular outdoor site. Concert organizers can in addition send notices to homeowners near the concert site reminding them of concert details, curfew time, and their right to complain if noise levels become significant and therefore annoying. Sport events (shown in **Figure 11**) present a very similar situation as music events. Although most people enjoy them, those who are disturbed by the noise levels produced can be protected in some way by using different types of ear protection (e.g., noise-cancelling headphones or popularly called earbuds). For people who are particularly sensitive to noise, there still remains the option of simply physically moving away for a while from the site where a particular sporting or musical event

*An example of construction site and some typical noise sources.*

*Noise and Environment*

safety, since prolonged exposure to this type of noise can cause various health problems (e.g., annoyance, loss of concentration, sleep disorders, headaches, etc.). The worst consequence of prolonged exposure to this type of noise is permanent hearing impairment. Bearing in mind all the above, it can be concluded that this

When considering noise caused by different construction sites which are shown in **Figure 9**, this type of noise can have extremely high noise levels. Furthermore, such noise levels are very variable given that the construction process has many different phases. Thus, depending on the type and phase of construction, this category of noise can have indoor and outdoor noise sources and sometimes both at the same time. Activities on construction sites include the use of hammers, off-road trucks, cement mixers, cement cutters, electric saws, welding machines, as well as noise generated by hand tools such as a drill. Therefore, such noise represents a challenge for the workers and in addition for the population located near the construction site. This type of noise may have health consequences identical to those described in

Musical events are very dynamic (see **Figure 10**). In this case, the sound engineer plays a key role in ensuring that the audience gets the full experience of a music event by mixing the music. The order of the songs is usually strategically set in a way that higher levels of tempo or dynamics and energy remain until the end of the night, which represents a certain kind of "peak" of the concert. Naturally, the sound engineer will want to raise the sound levels as much as possible, so it can be

kind of noise certainly affects work efficiency.

*An example of industrial site which produces industrial noise.*

the previous section for the case of industrial noise.

**82**

**Figure 8.**

**Figure 9.** *An example of construction site and some typical noise sources.*

expected that the noise levels will increase as the night passes. In addition, stage orientation plays a significant role in sound propagation. If the concert takes place outdoors, the reality is of course that people who are not actually present at the concert site, however live near, will hear the music. In that case it has to be noted that the music impact will be minimal at a distance of more than a mile or two from the concert site, so this type of noise could be annoying or unpleasant (especially if one does not prefer the music performed by an artist). The concert will certainly not be suspended due to a complaint from only one person living relatively near the concert site. Licensing of open-air concerts by the competent authority is a well-established process. Therefore, one can expect only a few concerts a year from a particular outdoor site. Concert organizers can in addition send notices to homeowners near the concert site reminding them of concert details, curfew time, and their right to complain if noise levels become significant and therefore annoying.

Sport events (shown in **Figure 11**) present a very similar situation as music events. Although most people enjoy them, those who are disturbed by the noise levels produced can be protected in some way by using different types of ear protection (e.g., noise-cancelling headphones or popularly called earbuds). For people who are particularly sensitive to noise, there still remains the option of simply physically moving away for a while from the site where a particular sporting or musical event will take place.

**Figure 10.** *An example of open-air musical event.*

**Figure 11.** *An example of sport event.*
