Noise Survey of a Small Wood Products Company

A survey of noise levels and an octave band analysis was performed for a small wood products company. Raw materials used in the plant during normal operations were 4″ x 6″ x 16′ hardwood cants. The use of an undergraduate, wood technology student, hired by the firm for summer employment and periodically supervised by university personnel, proved to be an effective mechanism for the study. The survey utilized a random sampling procedure involving twenty-seven work stations, eight control points and fifteen machines. The procedure optimized the amount of information acquired but minimized disruption of the plant operations. Noise levels were recorded at each work station and machines, running at the time of the measurement, were noted. With this information, three methods were developed and used to establish areas where noise abatement procedures could be instituted. One method consisted of ranking work stations on the basis of differences between noise levels taken while the machines were running and not running. Another combined noise level data with actual employee exposure time to establish a ranking. The final method employed a ratio of actual to allowable employee exposure time as determined by the measured data and federal standards. All three methods clearly indicated that high priority regions involved a planer, a multiple cut-off saw, a double arbor edger, and a band saw. A maintenance program was specified for the band saw to reduce the high frequency noise it generated, a machine enclosure was suggested for the double arbor edger, and an area enclosure was recommended for the subsection of the plant containing both the planer and multiple cut-off saw.

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