Noise emitted by drop hammer piling machine and workers‘ noise exposure

Hammer driven piling machine is the typical piling equipment in Malaysia, according to previous research on piling activities more than a decade ago more than an average of 90 dBA was recorded during the occurrences of piling activities at a common construction site that disturbs the neighbourhood. However, the direct effect of piling activities are the operator and signal man. Up to date there is no detail data about the noise exposure level experienced by these workers from these activities in order to facilitate the noise management in construction site. In this paper the propagation of sound level data on the recent hammer driven piling machines and noise exposure to operators and signal man were acquired and evaluated. Sound data were obtained by using sound level meter type 2 while noise exposure of workers by using noise dosimeter. Data were taken from six sites with piling machine age bellow 10 years, 7ton Hammer, 300mm Spun Pile and Laterite type of soil. It was obtained that piling hammering noise level was found exceeds the permissible maximum noise level of 90 dBA as highlighted by FMR 1989 up to distance more than 4m from piling machine. With this result it directly affected the signalmens and this is confirmed by the reading of noise exposure of them exceeding the 90 dBA and more than 100% dose. From the analysis, clearly that the piling machine workers especially the signal man underestimate the impact of high impact pulsing sound level generated even at the softest soil condition. It is proposed that signal man must wear proper hearing protection device with Noise reduction rating (NRR) of 20-30 dBA

Noise emitted by drop hammer piling machine and workers' noise exposure

Hammer driven piling machine is the typical piling equipment in Malaysia, according to previous research on piling activities more than a decade ago more than an average of 90 dBA was recorded during the occurrences of piling activities at a common construction site that disturbs the neighbourhood. However, the direct effect of piling activities are the operator and signal man. Up to date there is no detail data about the noise exposure level experienced by these workers from these activities in order to facilitate the noise management in construction site. In this paper the propagation of sound level data on the recent hammer driven piling machines and noise exposure to operators and signal man were acquired and evaluated. Sound data were obtained by using sound level meter type 2 while noise exposure of workers by using noise dosimeter. Data were taken from six sites with piling machine age bellow 10 years, 7ton Hammer, 300mm Spun Pile and Laterite type of soil. It was obtained that piling hammering noise level was found exceeds the permissible maximum noise level of 90 dBA as highlighted by FMR 1989 up to distance more than 4m from piling machine. With this result it directly affected the signalmens and this is confirmed by the reading of noise exposure of them exceeding the 90 dBA and more than 100% dose. From the analysis, clearly that the piling machine workers especially the signal man underestimate the impact of high impact pulsing sound level generated even at the softest soil condition. It is proposed that signal man must wear proper hearing protection device with Noise reduction rating (NRR) of 20-30 dBA

'Serene classroom' minimizes noise for more conducive learning

Noise pollution can be categorized as a danger in silence. In school, noise pollution inhibits the focus of learning, impairs learning and cognitive development, for example, students' skills to think and understand both oral and written comprehension may be hampered by noise. Many schools in Malaysia experience excessive noise pollution as their locations are very near busy roads. This will be one factor that hinders the implementation of the education system in producing holistic students in order to prepare for the 4IR era. Knowing the importance of this problem, a group of researchers from UTM GREENPrompt, School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia together with industry partners have built a special class called 'Serene Classroom' through a community project to overcome this problem. A classroom on the second floor of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampong Pasir, Johor Bahru that has traffic noise exposure from the Skudai-Johor Bahru highway was selected for this purpose. The community project is in collaboration with the Johor State Education Department, Ministry of Education Malaysia and industrial partners, such as Vibrant Echo Company, Sanjung Sempurna Sdn. Bhd. and DZAZ Collection. The implementation of the project, the lessons learned from the project and challenges for the implementation are discussed. Technically, Serene classrooms significantly reduce the level of noise pollution for more conducive learning and have received better perceptions from students and teachers. Therefore, hopefully more ‘Serene Classroom’ community projects can be implemented in schools, especially in urban areas affected by high noise levels as a way to reduce the renovation costs on schools