Showing 6 results for Noise Annoyance
S. Farhang Dehghan, M. R. Monazzam, P. Nassiri, Z. Haghighi Kafash, M. Jahangiri,
Volume 3, Issue 3 (12-2013)
Abstract
Introduction: Noise is one of the most common health hazards at the workplaces that can cause not only somatic problems, but also adversely affect mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate occupational noise exposure and noise annoyance in one of the petrochemical companies.
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Material and Method: The study population included 47 people working in Administrative and Manufacturing parts of the petrochemical company. First, dosimetry of production workers and noise frequency analysis of Administrative employees were performed. Then, self-report questionnaire for the assessment of noise annoyance at workplace was completed by the subjects. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: scoring of the noise intensity in the workplace, scoring of the noise annoyance in the workplace and determining the feelings and emotions (e.g. fatigue, sleepiness, and concentration problems) that experienced by subjects during the working day.
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Result: The results of noise dosimetry measurements showed that mean eight hour equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level was 86.13 dBA. According to the frequency analysis of office rooms, mean noise level and Preferred Noise-Criteria (PNC) was 69.4 dBA and 62 dB, respectively. The findings of our analysis revealed that 17.9% of administrative staff and 63.2% of manufacturing workers assigned “very high” score to the noise intensity in the workplace. The annoyance score was obtained “very annoyed” by 10% of employees of office section and 42% of manufacturing workers. For noise-related complaints and sensations defined by subjects, 49% of administrative staff and 60% of manufacturing workers marked the “sometimes” and “more” item of the questionary.
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Conclusion: Based on the obtained results of investigating the noise level (objective exposure) as well as the noise annoyance (subjective exposure) at the studied company, it is necessary to adopt the management –technical noise reduction measures at manufacturing sectors as the personal noise exposure and environmental noise exposure and also noise personal exposure of administrative staff can be decreased.
M. Abbasi, M. R. Monazzam Esmaielpour, A. Akbarzadeh, S. A. Zakerian, M. H. Ebrahimi,
Volume 5, Issue 3 (9-2015)
Abstract
Introduction: Installation of wind turbines in residential areas due to their unique sound characteristics may cause noise annoyance. Noise annoyance can increase the risk of health problems and sleep disturbance. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the effect of wind turbine noise annoyance on sleep disturbance among the Manjil wind farm workers.
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Material and Method: All the Manjil wind farm workers have been divided into three groups according to their noise exposure levels, including maintenance, security, and administrative workers. The equivalent A weighted noise levels were measured for each of the study working groups, using ISO 9612 standard method. Information related to the noise annoyance and sleep disturbance were determined by ISO15666 standard and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, respectively. Data were analyzed using R software.
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Result: Findings of ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests showed that noise annoyance and sleep disturbance were statistically different among workers with various occupational, age, and work experience groups. Also, noise annoyance and sleep disturbance had a significant association in a way that regardless of the effects of other variables, it can be stated that for every one unit increase in noise annoyance, 0.26 units will be added to the amount of sleep disturbance.
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Conclusion: In this study, workers with more wind turbine noise annoyance had more sleep disturbance. Therefore, in addition to the direct effects of noise on sleep disturbance, it can indirectly exacerbate sleep disturbances.
Arsalan Yousefzadeh, Parvin Nassiri, Abbas Rahimi Foroushani,
Volume 6, Issue 3 (9-2016)
Abstract
Introduction: Noise pollution in urban areas has been recognized as a major problem. Since hearing damages are the main concern of noise exposure, other physical and psychological effects should not be ignored. Noise-induced annoyance and consequently its side-effects, such as fatigue and loss of concentration, would increase the probability of human errors occurrence and occasionally irreversible occupational accidents. This matter show the importance of noise exposure level from the standpoint of both community health and workplace safety.
Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the annoyance caused by air transportation noise in tehran, 2014. In this sense, a sample of 200 individuals were selected from residential and nonindustrial noise-exposed population in four southwest regions in Tehran. Following, the study questionnaires including annoyance (Recommended based on ISO 15666-2003), visibility of airplane, noise perception, and demographic variables were distributed and completed by the participants. Data obtained from Integrated Noise Model (INM) and geographic coordinates of measurement stations, recorded by Glopal Positioning System (GPS), were entered into the GIS software in order to estimate air traffic noise.
Result: The present study showed that the equivalent sound level of all regions during night, the day average sound level only in the Simetry Jey area, and the average night noise level in all regions except Dorahi Ghopan were more than the acceptable level; and the most precentage of people with high annoyance was belonged to night annoyance rate. On the other hand, the correlation between day level (DL) and day annoyance rate (P=0.01, R=0.142), night level and night annoyance rate (P=0.004, R=0.334), and Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) and the day-night annoyance rate (P<0.0001, R=0.235) were obtained statistically significant.
Conclusion: Adopting management srategies for reduction of number of night flights or engineering measures such as improving construction to decrease the rate of receiving noise by exposed people can have a positive considerable effect on declining noise pollution and individuals’ annoyance rate.
Masoumeh Lotfi, Mohammad Reza Monazzam Esmaielpour, Nabeioallah Mansouri, Saeid Ahmadi,
Volume 8, Issue 2 (6-2018)
Abstract
Introduction: Using diesel generators is necessary for activities like welding in construction sites and it is often accompanied with noise pollution. The aim of this study was to evaluate noise pollution induced by diesel generators in construction activities in one of the districts of Tehran city.
Material and Method: In this descriptive study, 14 construction sites were selected for the evaluation of noise pollution in Tehran, district 4. Background and diesel generators sound pressure level were measured in accordance with BS 5228(2015) and noise guidance in the area around the construction sites. Diesel generators sound pressure level at 4 points and also the audio frequency analysis, one meter away from the device was measured at a random locations around it. TES-1358, Type 2(Taiwan) sound level meter was used to measure sound pressure level and calibration was performed before and after noise measurement. The validated Noise annoyance questionnaire adopted from ISO15666 standard, completed by the residents. T test, correlation and analysis of variance was performed to analyze data using SPSS software ver. 22.
Result: The mean equivalent sound level of diesel generators background noise were respectively 76 ± 4.05 dB(A) and 46.2 ± 1.09 dB(A) around the construction sites. Diesel generators noise around the construction sites was higher than the noise limit (background noise plus 5 dB)(P Value <0.05). The highest (95.3 ± 0.33 dBA) and lowest (90.9 ± 0.63 dBA) average sound pressure level was related to Benz355 and Perkins generators. One-way ANOVA statistical analysis showed significant differences in the average sound pressure level of various diesel generators between the devices (P Value <0.05). The mean sound pressure level among 190 sound monitoring stations in the interior parts of the construction sites were about 81.11 ± 4.6 dB(A). The experienced noise annoyance was evaluated higher than the average by 73.4 percent of residents. Residents’ noise annoyance and noise level around construction sites were significant using Pearson correlation (R=0.486, P value <0.05). Dominant noise frequency and associated sound pressure level of diesel generators were measured 63 Hz and 84.4 dBA, respectively.
Conclusion: Diesel generators noise in the area around the construction sites was higher than the environmental noise limit and it was accompanied with abundant noise annoyance for residents around these construction sites. Therefore, due to the lack of environmental rules related to construction industry noise pollution in Iran, assessment and approving of such rules is essential to reduce noise annoyance in urban areas.
Milad Abbasi, Parvin Nassiri, Roghay’eh Jaffari Talaar Poshti, Seyed Mohammadreza Taghavi , Saeid Aarabi, Rohollah Fallah Madvari, Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi, Maryam Ghaljahi,
Volume 8, Issue 3 (9-2018)
Abstract
Introduction: Chronic occupational noise exposure may constitute a risk factor for cardiovascular disease for workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational noise exposure and noise annoyance with blood pressure, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in workers of a textile industry.
Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 220 employees of Savadkouh textile industry complex in Mazandaran province, Iran in 2017. To achieve the study objectives, the 8 -hour equivalent sound exposure level was measured and the cumulative noise exposure was calculated. Based on noise exposure level, workers were divided into control and case groups. Then, blood pressure was measured and blood samples were collected from each individual for determination of the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and they were transfered to the laboratory for further analysis. The noise annoyance scale and socio-demographic questionnaire were used to collect noise annoyance and other background and demographic information, respectively. Finally, Paired t-test, one-way ANOVA and multivariate regression were used to study the relationship between variables using SPSS Version 20.
Result: In total, 159 workers participated in this study considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eighty-three participants were exposed to more than or equal to 85 dBA, and 76 person were exposed to less than 85 dBA noise level, respectively. The results showed that mean blood pressure and cholesterol were significantly different between the control and case groups (P-value< 0.05). Based on multivariate regression results, noise exposure, cumulative noise exposure (CNE) and noise annoyance had a significant effect on blood pressure (P-value< 0.001). Cholesterol was also significantly affected by noise exposure and noise annoyance (P-value< 0.005).
Conclusion: Based on the results of current study, noise can be considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease ampong workers. Actually, high intensity noise affect serum cholesterol and blood pressure directly, and may do indirectly by causing noise annoyance which acts as a mediator. Therefore, it seems necessary to conduct a controlled cohort study to investigating the interactions among whole variables of interest.
Milad Abbasi, Siavash Etemadinezhad, Ahmad Mehri, Maryam Ghaljahi, Rohollah Fallah Madvari, Roghayeh Jaffari Talaar Poshti,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (5-2020)
Abstract
Introduction: Although noise characteristics such as intensity and frequency are the main cause of detrimental effects, it is important to pay attention to the personality traits of individuals as the host of adverse health effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of personality traits on sensitivity, annoyance and loudness perception due to exposure to high frequency sound.
Material and method: This interventional and experimental study was carried out among 80 undergraduate and postgraduate students in 2017. First, examinee were exposed to a high frequency noise at 65 dBA for one hour in an acoustic room. Then, to determine amount of annoyance, sensitivity, loudness perception and to investigate personality traits, questionnaire of noise annoyance, noise sensitivity, loudness perception and Eysenck personality inventory was used, respectively. Finally, Chi-square, independent t-test and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to data analyze.
Results: The mean±SD of sensitivity, annoyance and loudness perception were 54.08±7.71, 7.0±1.53, and 2.79±1.13, respectively in this study. The mean scores of sensitivity, annoyance and loudness perception were significantly different in terms of personality traits, so that their average was higher in the neurotic and introverted. Based on MANOVA test results, personality traits had a significant effect on sensitivity, annoyance and loudness perception of individuals. In a way, the neuroticism and introversion had the greatest effect on the sensitivity and annoyance, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that personality traits such as introversion and neuroticism can affect the sensitivity, annoyance and loudness perception of individuals.
