When going through the process of noise impact assessments, there are a few key focuses. The main aspect is ensuring the noise levels in the facility are compliant with regulations and guidelines. To ensure your facility is ready for an audit, consider working with a noise assessment consultant to ensure success. The audit process consists of steps including:
ECA and Acoustic Assessment Report
In Ontario, all industrial operations need to obtain approval from the Ministry of Environment, Conservations and Parks (MECP). Subject to your NAICS code, you either need to obtain an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) or register in the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR). As part of the application an Acoustic Assessment Report (AAR of noise report) is included to support the submission. If noise mitigation is required, a Noise Abatement Action Plan (NAAP) is included. The NAAP will outline the noise mitigation measures and any operational restrictions that are required.
Audit Review
Your Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) will outline if an acoustic audit is required. In most cases the audit needs to be completed by a third party and by someone who was not involved with the ECA application. Before your audit, review the ECA and NAAP requirements to ensure that all the applicable requirements have been implemented appropriately. Once this is confirmed, you can schedule a site visit with the auditors. As part of the audit, the noise assessment consultant will walk-through the site to confirm the required mitigation has been installed (ie. barriers, enclosures, etc.) and review sound emissions from various operations and equipment.
Measuring Noise Levels
An assessment for noise levels can be completed both at source and/or at the receptor of concern. At source measurements can be useful to calculate the impact of the equipment/activities at the receptor of concern as you can limit the impact of the measurement from other extraneous sources. The noise impact assessment will help auditors know the sound levels from your facility and be able to confirm your compliance status.
Preparing for an Audit
Preparation for a facility audit can be stressful. From the start of a project, ensure you are complying with the regulation and requirement requirements. Bringing in a noise assessment consultant can help assist in the process and provide ease for developers. At Valcoustics, we can assist by either preparing your Acoustic (& Vibration) Assessment Report to support your application or by completing an Acoustic Audit. The Acoustic Assessment Report will include a NAAP, if applicable and outline the necessary noise mitigation measures. Our team of professionals is ready to help. We can complete all the necessary computer/mathematical (3-d) modeling and field measurements to assist with the process. Call Valcoustics today.