Airborne & Impact Sound Insulation Testing
To ensure new buildings and conversions comply with sound insulation regulations, a stringent test must be carried out. if the building passes the sound test, a report stating a pass will be issued. if the building fails the test, remedial action must be carried out before the building can be re-tested.

Procedure
Background measurements are made during the test and are monitored during the sound insulation measurements. If necessary, background noise corrections are applied to receiving room sound pressure levels and this is indicated in the results data tables.
Sound Pressure Level measurements are made in each room, using microphones on stands. For airborne sound insulation, measurements are made at five locations in each room for each of two loudspeaker positions and the Mean Sound Pressure Level was computed from the ten measurements. Measurements were made using real time frequency analysis with pink noise.
Reverberation time measurements were made in real time. Three measurements were made at each of four microphone positions and then the procedure was repeated for a different loudspeaker location. The mean reverberation time is calculated from the twenty-four measured values.
For impact sound insulation, four tapping machine positions are used and the mean sound pressure level was computed from measurements at sixteen microphone positions (four per tapping machine position).
The Standardized Level Difference (DnT) and Standardized Impact Sound Pressure Level (LnT) were calculated at each frequency. These spectra were used to calculate the Weighted Standardized Level Difference (DnT,w) Spectrum Adaption Terms (C, Ctr, and C1) and Weighted Impact Sound Pressure Level (LnT,w)

All procedures are audited on a regular basis.

(PPG24) Planning Policy Guidance 24
Planning Policy Guidance 24 Planning and Noise (PPG24) was published in 1994 and aims to provide advice on how the planning system can be used to minimise the adverse impact of noise without placing unreasonable restrictions on development or adding unduly to the administrative burdens of business. PPG24 can be read at www.communities.gov.uk

PPG24 provides specific guidance on the assessment of noise on sites proposed for residential development and references other suitable documents for the assessment of noise affecting new or existing hospitals, road & rail traffic noise and noise from aircraft together with noise from industrial sites and the leisure industry.

BS4142 1990 (Rating industrial noise affecting mixed residential and industrial areas)
"Rating Industrial Noise Affecting Mixed Residential and Industrial Areas" is the most important guidance document here and is the one most frequently used by environmental health officers to determine the degree of nuisance from a factory.

Basically, the alleged source of nuisance is measured (or predicted) and adjusted for disturbing features such as tones and intermittancy. This adjusted level is then compared with the background noise and a sliding scale from positively justified complaints to positively no justified complaints can then be applied.

BS 4142 will usually be the main tool used in planning assessments where industrial noise is the main issue - be it a new factory near to housing or new housing near industrial areas. In addition, however, planners (usually under advice from environmental health officers) may impose boundary noise limits or planning consent levels. Such conditions are often rigidly imposed but are necessarily vague in relevance and ought to be subordinate to a proper nuisance assessment, as illustrated in the graph below.

Remedial Treatment
If a building fails a test, Noisecheck can investigate the problem and advise on suitable remedial action.