Acta Mechanica Slovaca 2018, 22(3):44-52 | DOI: 10.21496/ams.2018.026

Analysis and Evaluation of Risks from Exposure to Noise in a Working Environment

Miriama Piňosová1, Miriam Andrejiová2, Miroslav Badida1, Marek Moravec1
1 Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Design Machine and Process Engineering, Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Park Komenského 5, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
2 Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia

This paper deals with a proposal of assessment of hearing impairment risk from the point of view of long-term exposure to noise in a selected plant in the Slovak Republic. Measurement and monitoring noise was carried out at two workshops of a mechanical engineering plant: in a "Cutting Center" and in a "Welding Center". A Norsonic sound analyser was used to measure noise exposure. Evaluation of the noise measurement results consisted of the comparison of the measured values with the required values, which are specified, in the relevant legislative regulation (Government Regulation No. 115/2006 Coll., technical standard (STN EN ISO 9612:2010) and Directive (Council Directive 2003/10/EC). The measured results show that the normalized levels of noise exposure, extended by the uncertainty of measurement (U = ± 2,1 dB) at the all workplaces, exceed the limits stipulated by the Slovak Government, all measured professions fall within the fourth category of work activities categorized according to the noise factor. Long-term exposure of the human organism to noise pollution can cause, in addition to hearing impairment, a wide range of other diseases. Very high levels of noise cause hearing impairment, lower levels affect the control system in our body. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at assessing the risks associated with acoustic noise in connection with exposure to noise at the workplace and with its possible negative effects (a risk event) to health and hearing of workers in the engineering industry.

Keywords: noise reduction strategy, acoustic risk, acoustic risk assessment matrix.

Published: September 15, 2018  Show citation

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Piňosová, M., Andrejiová, M., Badida, M., & Moravec, M. (2018). Analysis and Evaluation of Risks from Exposure to Noise in a Working Environment. Acta Mechanica Slovaca, 22(3), 44-52. doi: 10.21496/ams.2018.026
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