x
I E S
Make A Submission
icon
img
img
img
img
img

Current Issue

  • Home
  • Current Issue Details

Construction Noise and Its Impact on Workers in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

By: Md. Alamgir Hasan, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Moniruzzaman, Md. Kamruzzaman

Key Words: Noise pollution, Construction site, Noise level and Noise impact.

IES-Vol10-No3-p01-12, December 2023.

Abstract

The construction industry is vital to a nation’s development, but it generates noise pollution, which poses a serious threat to public health and the environment. Construction workers with poor socio-economic backgrounds are easily exposed to miscellaneous noise at workplaces and become the victims of noise. The present study was conducted to assess the construction noise level at selected construction sites in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. A total of 10 construction sites were selected based on project type and the stage of construction. The noise level at different distances from the construction sites (5, 10, 20, 50 m) during the working period (9:00 to 17:00) was measured with the help of a digital sound level meter. Simultaneously, a survey of construction workers was carried out. The noise levels at construction sites varied from 76.0 to 91.5 dBA. About 40% of the noise levels exceeded the allowable limit of 85 dBA, prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). As per the questionnaire survey, many workers treated the construction sites as “moderately noisy” and “slightly annoyed”. Due to the noisy environment, most workers had to raise their voices during work. They also had “moderate” communication interference at work sites. Noisiness and annoyance at work were negatively correlated with age and work experience. This study found that one-third (34.3%) of workers suffered from headaches and 8.6% experienced sleeplessness.

Download the full paper

Abdullah D. 2023, September 14. Smart Rajshahi in the making. Dhaka Tribune. Bangladesh.

https://www.dhakatribune.com.

Ali SA. 2011. A case study of construction noise exposure for preserving worker’s hearing in Egypt. Acoustical science and technology, 32(5): 211-215. https://doi.org/10.1250/ast.32.211 .

Alimohammadi I, Kanrash FA, Abolghasemi J, Vosoughi S, and Chalak MH. 2019. Relationship between noise annoyance and cognitive performance in automotive workers exposed to chronic noise. Journal of UOEH, 41(4):375-385. https://doi.org/10.7888/juoeh.41.375 .

Bakhori N, Hassan M, Ab’lah Feiruz Nausherwan A, Suhot M, Daud MY, Sarip S, and Ismail Z. 2017. Noise measurement and awareness at construction site–A Case Study. Journal of Advanced Research Design, 31(3): 9-16.

Clark C, Gjestl and T, LaviaL, Notley H, Michaud D, and Moringa M. 2021. Revising ISO/TS15666- The noise annoyance standard. Proceedings of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise, Stockholm, Sweden, 14-17.

EEA (European Environment Agency) 2020. Environment Noise in Europe – 2020. European Environment Agency (Issue 22/2019). https://doi.org/10.2800/686249 .

Fernández MD, Quintana S, Chavarría N, and Ballesteros JA. 2009. Noise exposure of workers of the construction sector. Applied Acoustics, 70(5): 753-760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2008.07.014 .

Fyhri A, and Aasvang GM. 2010. Noise, sleep and poor health: Modeling the relationship between road traffic noise and cardiovascular problems. Science of the Total Environment, 408(21): 4935-4942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.06.057 .

Jain G, Gupta V, and Pandey M. 2016. Case study of construction pollution impact on environment. Int. J. of Emer. Tech. in Eng. Res. (IJETER), 4(6):1-3.

Jang HS, Kim HJ, and Jeon JY. 2015. Scale-model method for measuring noise reduction in residential buildings by vegetation. Building and Environment, 86:81-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.12.020 .

Kumari K, Das BK, Kush A, Pathak A, Srivastava A and Kumari S. 2023. Noise level variation at a construction site of double-decker fly over and its physiological consequences. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 14(3):280-289.

Lee SC, Hong J Yand Jeon JY. 2015. Effects of acoustic characteristics of combined construction noise on annoyance. Building and Environment, 92: 657- 667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.05.037.

Li X, Song Z, Wang T, Zheng Y and Ning X. 2016. Health impacts of construction noise on workers: A quantitative assessment model based on exposure measurement. Journal of Cleaner Production, 135: 721-731.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.100 .

Liu Y, Xia B, Cui C and Skitmore M.2017. Community response to construction noise in three central cities of Zhejiang province, China. Environmental Pollution, 230:1009-1017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.058 .

Neitzel, R., Seixas, N. S., Camp, J., & Yost, M. 1999. An assessment of occupational noise exposures in four construction trades. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 60(6): 807-817.

Occupational safety and Health Administration (OSHA)1983. Occupational Noise Exposure: hearing conservation amendment. 29 CFR 1910.95. Federal Register, 46: 4078-4181.

RDA (Rajshahi Development Authority) 2023. Achievements. (Accessed on 22.10.2023 from Bangladesh national portal)

https://rda.rajshahidiv.gov.bd

Shukla A, Mishra A and Tandel BN. 2023. Evaluation of Construction-Demolition Noise and its Impact on Annoyance in the Academic Zone: Case Study of Surat, India. Sarkar, S., Gupta, S., & Shaw, A. K. (Eds.) Emerging Technology and Management Trends in Environment and Sustainability: Proceedings of the International Conference, EMTES-2022, Taylor & Francis,70 – 70.

Sinclair JD and Haflidson WO.1995. Construction noise in Ontario.  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 10(5): 457-460. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047322X.1995.10387637 .

Smith A and Wellens B. 2007, July. Noise and occupational health and safety. In: First European forum on efficient solutions for managing occupational noise risks, Noise at work.

Health-Europe, T. L. R. 2023. Noise pollution: more attention is needed. The Lancet regional health. Europe, 24: 100577.

Wang Y, Wang G, Li H, Gong L and Wu Z. 2022. Mapping and analyzing the construction noise pollution in China using social media platforms. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 97:106863.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2022.106863 .

Yang X, Wang Y, Zhang R and Zhang Y. 2021. Physical and psychoacoustic characteristics of typical noise on construction site: “how does noise impact construction workers’ experience?”. Frontiers in Psychology, 12: 707868. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707868 .

Md. Alamgir Hasan, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Moniruzzaman, Md. Kamruzzaman

Construction Noise and Its Impact on Workers in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

IES-Vol10-No3-p01-12, December 2023.

https://jenvosci.com/ies-publish/construction-noise-and-its-impact-on-workers-in-rajshahi-city-bangladesh/

Copyright © 2023
By Authors and International Environmental Science (IES)
https://jenvosci.com

Most Popular