The noise control prioritizing index in a tire manufacturing company

Introduction; controlling noise pollution in an indoor environment has always been faced with administrative and financial constraints. Prioritizing in a scientific manner is a useful approach in dealing with such problems. The aim of the present study was to determine the noise control prioritizing index (NCPI) in various units from a tire manufacturing company.
Methods; the sound pressure levels in various units were determined in accordance with ISO 9612 standard. The index was a function of three parameters; the number of people exposed of the noise, exposure time, and a weighting factor corresponding to the sound pressure level. The distribution of noise levels on the unit with the highest priority was depicted using Surfer ver.10.
Results; according to the environmental measurements, 22.9% of the investigated stations had a noise level in the danger zone and other 77.1% was in the caution zone. No station was in the safe zone. The sound pressure level had a range between 69.9-104.7 dB(A). Among the investigated units, the curing unit with 20 employees had the highest priority of noise control (NCPI=1.369).
Conclusion; the results of the present study indicated that using an index resulted from a combination of various parameters affecting the noise pollution, we would be able to prioritize units for implementing noise pollution control confidently. The results of the present study are applicable to all similar industrial settings.