Noise Policies in Different Countries

Noise policies in different countries generally ensures that noise regulatory standards that can set the reference point for emission control and abatement policies at the national, regional or municipal levels, and can thus strongly influence the implementation of noise control policies are practiced.

In many countries, exceeding regulatory standards is linked to an obligation to develop abatement action plans at the municipal, regional or national levels majorly targeted towards acting as the low-noise implementation plans, and such plans have to address all relevant sources of noise pollution.

Examples of Noise Policies in Different Countries

Different countries have adopted a range of policies and regulations for noise control. A number of these are outlined below as examples:

1. Argentina

In Argentina, a national law recently limited the daily 8-h exposure to industrial noise to 80 dB, and it has had beneficial effects on hearing impairment and other hearing disorders among workers.

In general, industry has responded by introducing constant controls on noise sources, combined with hearing tests and medical follow-ups for workers. Factory owners have recruited permanent health and safety engineers who control noise, supply advice on how to make further improvements, and routinely assess excessive noise levels. The engineers also provide education in personal protection and in the correct use of ear plugs, mufflers etc.

At the municipal level two types of noise have been considered. Unnecessary noise, which is forbidden; and excessive noise, which is defined for neighborhood activities (zones), and for which both day and night-time maximum limits have been introduced.

The results have been relatively successful in mitigating unwanted noise effects. At the provincial level, similar results have been accomplished for many cities in Argentina and Latin America.

2. Australia

In Australia, the responsibility for noise control is shared primarily by state and local governments. There are nationally-agreed regulatory standards for airport planning and new vehicle noise emissions.

The Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) index is used to describe how much aircraft noise is received at locations around an airport (DoTRS 1999). Around all airports, planning controls restrict the construction of dwellings within the 25 ANEF exposure contour and require sound insulation for those within 20 ANEF.

Road traffic noise limits are set by state governments, but vary considerably in both the exposure metric and in maximum allowable levels. New vehicles are required to comply with stringent design rules for noise and air emissions. For example, new regulation in New South Wales adopts LAeq as the metric and sets noise limits of 60 dBA for daytime, and 55 dBA for night-time, along new roads.

Local governments set regulations restricting noise emissions for household equipment, such as air conditioners, and the hours of use for noisy machines such as lawn mowers.

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3. South Africa

In South Africa, noise control is more than three decades old. It began with codes of practice issued by the South African Bureau of Standards to address noise pollution in various sectors of the country.

In 1989, the Environment Conservation Act made provision for the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to make regulations for noise, vibration and shock (DEAT 1989). These regulations were published in 1990 and local authorities could apply to the Minister to make them applicable in their areas. Later, the act was changed to make it obligatory for all authorities to apply the regulations.

However, according to the new Constitution of South Africa of 1996, legislative responsibility for noise control rests exclusively with provincial and local authorities. The noise control regulations will apply to local authorities in South Africa as soon as they are published in the provinces. This will not only give local authorities the power to enforce the regulations, but also place an obligation on them to see that the regulations are enforced.

4. United States of America

Environmental noise was not addressed as a national policy issue in the USA until the implementation of the Noise Control Act of 1972. This congressional act directed the US Environmental Protection Agency to publish scientific information about noise exposure and its effects, and to identify acceptable levels of noise exposure under various conditions.

The Noise Control Act was supposed to protect the public health and well-being with an adequate margin of safety. This was accomplished in 1974 with the publication of the US EPA “Levels Document” (US EPA 1974).

It addressed issues such as the use of sound descriptions to describe sound exposure, the identification of the most important human effects resulting from noise exposure, and the specification of noise exposure criteria for various effects.

Subsequent to the publication of the US EPA “Levels Document”, guidelines for conducting environmental impact analysis were developed (Finegold et al. 1998). The day-night average sound level was thus established as the predominant sound descriptor for most environmental noise exposure.

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In summary, in South Africa, noise control began with codes of practice issued by the South African Bureau of Standards to address noise pollution in various sectors of the country. In Australia, the responsibility for noise control is shared primarily by state and local governments.

Environmental noise was not addressed as a national policy issue in the USA until the implementation of the Noise Control Act of 1972. It is evident from these examples that noise policies and regulations vary considerably across countries and regions. Moves towards global noise policies need to be encouraged to ensure that the world population gains the maximum health benefits from new developments in noise control.

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