Appendix D Acoustic Report - 14-16 Mary Street, Noosaville - Bounce Hostels 15.6.2018

Visitor Accommodation, Noosaville                                                                               1142R1-R0



2       Acoustic Terminology
                     The following is a brief explanation of the acoustic terminology used in this report.

        Sound (Noise) Level
                     Sound or noise consists of minute fluctuations in atmospheric pressure capable of
                     evoking the sense of hearing. The human ear responds to changes in sound
                     pressure over a very wide range. The loudest sound pressure to which the human
                     ear responds is ten million times greater than the softest. The decibel (abbreviated
                     as dB) scale reduces this ratio to a more manageable size by the use of logarithms.
                     The symbols “L” or “LA” are commonly used to represent Sound Pressure Level.

         “A” Weighted Sound Pressure Level - dB(A)
                     The overall level of a sound is usually expressed in terms of dB(A), which is
                     measured using a sound level meter with an “A-weighting” filter. This is an
                     electronic filter having a frequency response corresponding approximately to that
                     of human hearing.
                     People’s hearing is most sensitive to sounds at mid frequencies (500 Hz to
                     4000 Hz), and less sensitive at lower and higher frequencies. Thus, the level of a
                     sound in dB(A) is a good measure of the loudness of that sound. Different sources
                     having the same dB(A) level generally sound about equally as loud.
                     A change of 1 dB(A) or 2 dB(A) in the level of a sound is difficult for most people
                     to detect, whilst a 3 dB(A) to 5 dB(A) change corresponds to small but noticeable
                     change in loudness. A 10 dB(A) change corresponds to an approximate doubling
                     or halving in loudness. The table below shows examples of typical noise levels
                     Table 1:        Typical Noise Levels

                        Sound Pressure                            Typical Source               Subjective
                          Level (dB(A))                                                        Evaluation
                                130                              Threshold of pain              Intolerable
                                120                             Heavy rock concert              Extremely
                                110                              Grinding on steel                noisy
                                100                            Loud car horn at 3 m             Very noisy
                                    90            Construction site with pneumatic hammering
                                    80                        Curbside of busy street             Loud
                                    70                        Loud radio or television
                                    60                           Department store              Moderate to
                                    50                             General Office                  quiet
                                    40                          Inside private office          Quiet to very
                                    30                            Inside bedroom                   quiet
                                    20                      Unoccupied recording studio        Almost silent

        Statistical Sound (Noise) Levels
                     Sounds that vary in level over time, such as road traffic noise and most community
                     noise, are commonly described in terms of the statistical exceedance levels LAN,
                     where LAN is the A-weighted sound pressure level exceeded by N% of a given
                     measurement period. For example, the LA1 is the noise level exceeded for 1% of
                     the time, LA10 the noise exceeded for 10% of the time, and so on.
                     Of particular relevance are:
                        LA1 The noise level exceeded for 1% of the 15 minute interval.

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