Noise Management in Construction: Identifying Strategies and Controls for Improvement
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2022
ABSTRACT
Hearing loss is a significant problem in the construction industry. Research shows several construction workers have hearing difficulty and some hearing impairment that impacts day-to-day activities. Despite these statistics, construction sites remain a significant source of noise exposure. While other industries have developed and implemented effective technology-driven interventions, the construction industry significantly lags. Therefore, there is a need for construction researchers and practitioners to investigate noise exposure, develop domain-specific technology-based solutions, and encourage the implementation of these solutions. Thus, this study, as part of larger effort, explores the incident of construction noise and strategies for detection and prevention. The authors conducted a literature review to identify top construction tasks with high levels of harmful noise exposure and establish the hierarchy of control levels and associated strategies for noise management. Next, 22 construction managers were surveyed to provide insights from a management perspective regarding the perceived level of workers’ noise exposure, gauge the effectiveness of noise management practices and controls, and identify technologies with the potential to detect and prevent noise hazards. Results from the present study indicate that the existing noise management practices, by themselves, are not very effective, and should be complemented with emerging technologies. Overall, this study will benefit construction practitioners in raising awareness on the potential role emerging interventions could have in noise mitigation, while supporting research efforts geared toward the development and adoption of technology-supported controls to reduce noise exposure during construction projects.
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Construction Research Congress 2022
Pages: 600 - 610
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Published online: Mar 7, 2022
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