Acoustics & Vibration Services | Expert Noise Consultants
Expert noise consultants - recognising, evaluating and controlling the adverse impacts of noise and vibration on people, the environment, structures and machinery
As the world becomes increasingly busy, mitigating the effects of noise and vibration on the environment and people has become increasingly important. Consideration of these issues must be given when introducing a new source of noise or vibration into an existing sensitive area or when locating a noise sensitive development within an already noisy location. Additionally, noise and vibration within the work place can also affect the health of individuals or reduce productivity if noise is not appropriately assessed and treated.
Our experts in the Acoustics and Vibration Group offer technical consulting in a range of areas from planning and environmental assessment, occupational noise & vibration exposure (i.e. noise at work, hand-arm vibration and whole-body vibration), pipework vibration, sound insulation testing, building & architectural acoustics and noise & vibration awareness training. Our acoustic consultants work across the full breadth of industries and sectors to help manage risks and find innovative solutions. Our specialist services include:
Regulatory authorities normally require a noise assessment to be undertaken as part of planning or licence applications for new developments which have the potential to generate noise and/or vibration that could affect existing residential or other noise sensitive receptors. Alternatively, a sensitive development may be planned at a location where existing noise and /or vibration from transport or industry could affect amenity. The Bureau Veritas Acoustics and Vibration team is able to provide a range of services in this area including:
The Acoustics & Vibration Group has a long history of providing services in this area, both onshore and offshore. Whether an industrial plant, an offshore installation or a shipping or fishing vessel (under the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels Control of Noise at Work Regulations), we can help by assessing employee’s noise and vibration exposure risks, and offering advice on how they can be managed and reduced to achieve compliance. Such services include:
We can also offer our bespoke Noise Exposure Management System (NEMS) and Vibration Exposure Management System (VEMS). These macro-based tools enable complex sites to clearly visualise and manage their overall risk rating, allowing targeted improvement measures to be easily identified. Our Acoustics and Vibration team can offer services to those involved in building design and project management to ensure that satisfactory acoustic environments are engineered into buildings at an early stage in their design. We provide advice to architects, building services engineers, quantity surveyors/project managers, building control bodies and others involved in the design of new buildings in the following areas:
Our expert team can provide a tailored measurement survey campaign to understand the source of the problem. Too often in the industry a generic stiffening of the pipework via additional supports and/or clamps is seen as the way ahead. But this is not always carried out with vibration in mind and may not be the only (or best) solution available.
Bureau Veritas has offices throughout the UK and is able to provide services within the UK and overseas. The Acoustics and Vibration team are predominately based in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester and London. We can also call upon many other specialists within the Bureau Veritas acoustics and vibration community around the world.
Generally, we are able to provide a quick turnaround and mobilise within a few days on receipt of instruction. A report will generally be available within ten working days of completion of all monitoring surveys.
We have a team located throughout the UK with equipment available for short and long term monitoring in order to meet your needs. All our noise and vibration equipment is calibrated using techniques traceable to national standards.
For more complex studies we can utilise noise prediction software. We have up to date licenses for CadnaA and SoundPlan for the mapping of environmental noise, NoiseAtWork software for occupational assessments and Insul for building acoustics.
All members of the Bureau Veritas Acoustics and Vibration Group have formal qualifications in acoustics or a similar engineering degree. Our consultants are registered with professional bodies such as the Institute of Acoustics (IOA), IMechE or ANC. Furthermore, several of our consultants have certificates for the OPITO Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training and UKOOA Offshore Medicals.
Prior to mobilising to commence with the study, Bureau Veritas will contact the relevant regulator to discuss the assessment methodology and requirements and submit a report suitable for submission to the regulator.
The Acoustics and Vibration team are involved in projects on a global basis and have travelled around the world to meet the needs of our clients. We can also call upon many other specialists within the Bureau Veritas acoustics and vibration community around the world, with teams in France, Spain, Brazil, Singapore and Australia.
We will recommend mitigation measures to reduce the significance of impacts due to the existing sources whether that is environmental or occupational.