If you are attending concerts in Ireland (or anywhere), it is advised that you wear some sort of hearing protection due to the high sound levels usually above 85 decibels at a concert.
If you are attending concerts in Ireland (or anywhere), it is advised that you wear some sort of hearing protection due to the high decibels of noise usually above 85 decibels at a concert. The high noise level can damage people’s hearing and with concerts usually being measured at in or around 110 decibels. Ear damage is especially likely if concert goers are standing near the speakers so they should bring ear protection. Equally, workers at concerts are also at risk of long-term exposure to high noise levels and environmental health teams must pay attention and offer solutions to noise exposure at concerts.
Concert noise
Sonitus Systems have some experience in managing noise at concerts having worked with Marlay Park, a large public park located 10km from the city centre, in a residential suburb. Our monitoring system can measure sound levels inside or outside venues, reporting any limit breaches for compliance or health and safety. Our secure online platform can share information with colleagues or compliance checks with licensing authorities and local communities.
Marlay Park
Marlay Park is home to a summer concert series with a number of large-scale music shows held over successive weeks. Fingal County Council’s Environmental Health team are responsible for monitoring sound levels at the park and the boundaries with a view to ensuring they are below licensing limits. Teams must regularly check sound levels to minimise the risk of noise disturbance to local residents. Noise levels are usually monitored every 15 minutes but with it being needed in various areas over a large space, Sonitus Systems were able to offer a suitable solution.
Noise Monitoring Solution
Working with the Environmental Health team, we worked to refine the use of our online sound level monitoring platform to give them exactly the functionality they needed. With our sound level monitors, they offered continuous assessment and we also provided advanced features with online analysis tools, such as flexible limit checks and SMS alerts. Sonitus Systems noise monitoring equipment offers automation and ease of use and in the case of Marlay Park, we deployed the sound level monitoring equipment at the boundary of the park in advance of the first concert of the summer series. Measurement began instantly and it uploaded automatically, so the team were able to set up and manage their monitoring project online before the concerts, instead of on site. Licensing conditions were the same for the series of concerts, so it made the limit checks quite specific by comparing the sound level for every 15-minute period between 6pm and 11pm to the planning conditions. The Council team set their contact numbers and email addresses for alerts through their secure account login and specified sound level limit values and start and end times for checks. The Council were given up to date checks on potential sound level breaches. If any problems arose, they were automatically highlighted to staff on duty allowing them to liaise with event organisers and manage the issues. Our noise monitoring solution allowed the Council staff to measure multiple boundary points with a team of just 2 people on site.
What Sonitus Systems can do
We understand the requirements of venue operators, event management companies and licensing authorities. We provide the instrumentation and tools to measure and control sound levels, so that noise is not the main event. Our noise monitoring solution offers:
- Fully automatic boundary noise monitoring and compliance checks
- Flexible alert system set up online with no on-site configuration
- Remote reporting with web-based data access, from the desk or on site
- Up to the minute information for actively managing entertainment noise emissions
- Reduced number of staff needed on site for out-of-hours work
- Lower cost of equipment – 30% cheaper than the team’s previous system
Sonitus Systems supply robust and reliable sound level monitoring equipment globally from their base in Dublin. Their award-winning products and services allow users to easily monitor and assess noise levels in any scenario to ensure compliance. For more information, call the Sonitus Systems team on +353 1 6778443 or email info@sonitussystems.com