Overview
EN ISO 11690-1:2020 (ISO 11690-1:2020) - "Acoustics - Recommended practice for the design of low-noise workplaces containing machinery - Part 1: Noise control strategies" - provides practical, standardized guidance on addressing audible workplace noise. The document explains core noise-control concepts (noise reduction, noise emission, noise immission and noise exposure) and gives strategic advice for both existing and planned workplaces. It is applicable to all workplace types and all sound sources commonly encountered in workplaces, including human activities, and includes guidance to follow when purchasing new machines or equipment.
Key topics and technical coverage
- Basic noise-control concepts: definitions and use of terms such as noise emission, immission and exposure; emphasis on audible sound only.
- Assessment of the noise situation: recommended quantities and descriptors for characterizing emission, immission and exposure; use of noise information sheets and noise maps.
- Noise-control strategy and planning: principles for noise control at preliminary planning, design, implementation and assessment/acceptance stages.
- Practical measures: hierarchy of measures and selection principles to reduce noise at source, along propagation paths, and at receivers.
- Procurement guidance: questions to ask before buying machinery, information to request from suppliers, interpretation of declared noise emission values and their verification.
- Verification and acceptance: guidance on checking declared emissions and immission levels during installation and commissioning.
- Planning tools: use of noise prediction methods and the development of long-term noise-control programmes.
- Stakeholder roles: identification of parties involved (engineers, health & safety officers, purchasers, suppliers, architects) and their responsibilities.
Practical applications
- Designing low-noise workspaces in manufacturing plants, workshops, food processing, and heavy industry.
- Preparing procurement specifications and supplier noise-data requests when buying new machines or equipment.
- Conducting workplace noise assessments, creating noise maps, and setting up long-term noise-reduction programmes.
- Guiding multidisciplinary project teams (engineering, H&S, procurement, facilities) in integrating noise control early in design and purchase decisions.
Who should use this standard
- Plant personnel and maintenance teams
- Health & safety and occupational hygiene professionals
- Engineers and acoustic consultants
- Procurement and purchasing departments
- Architects and facility planners
- Machine and equipment suppliers
Related standards
- Part of the ISO 11690 series (recommended practices for low-noise workplaces); consult the other parts for measurement and implementation details.
- Refer to the normative references in EN ISO 11690-1 for specific measurement and evaluation standards when conducting quantitative assessments.
Keywords: EN ISO 11690-1:2020, ISO 11690-1, acoustics, noise control strategies, low-noise workplaces, machinery noise, noise emission, noise immission, noise exposure, workplace noise, machine procurement.
