Noise is an unavoidable part of everyday human life. Whether live in town or the countryside, everyone is surrounded by noise most of the time. While one must accept a certain degree of noise in daily life, there are some types of noise that are unwelcome and, in extreme cases, noise may have a damaging effect on our health. The job of the environmental health practitioner is to ensure that the degree of noise in the environment around us remains at a level that is not harmful to health.

Noise Planning...

There are several ways in which EHPs help to control the amount of noise in the environment. The ideal approach is to try and prevent excessive amounts of noise occurring in the first place, for example by advising on suitable noise limits when planning applications for new developments are being considered.

Where excessive noise does occur, EHP investigates and suggest solutions to the problem. In most cases, the person or business making the noise is unaware they are causing a problem. The situation may be resolved by offering them advice on reducing the noise, or by getting them to talk with those living or working nearby to agree a mutually acceptable solution. In large perspective EHPs are working to ensure that overall levels of noise in the environment are gradually reduced.