This thesis concerns the noise nuisance that results from the operation of urban railways and reports on a case-study of the impact of the Tyneside Metro on residents living in close proximity to the railway tracks. The study was based upon parallel related surveys in the vicinity of Wallsend and Walkergate, during the period August to November 1983: one, a subjective questionnaire survey of perceived noise-nuisance and the other, an objective set of measurements of the actual noise conditions prevailing there. A review of the methods of current practice in the control or urban railway noise demonstrates that regular maintenance of the rails and train wheels is still the most effective way of keeping noise under control at source. Nevertheless, with high speeds of operation, considerable noise nuisance is likely to be experienced by residents nearby. The Metro is the biggest source of noise and noise-nuisance for people exposed to noise levels of over 60 18H Leq dB(A), although the noise annoyance model constructed from the data showed that half of the annoyance felt by respondents could not be explained. Other factors which affect annoyance include vibration, perception of other transport noises, the subjects' ages and whether or not they own the property they occupy. Metro is generally perceived to be quieter and to cause less vibration than the diesel trains (DMUs) which preceded it. The equivalent continuous noise level (Leq) appears to be the most practical of all the various noise indexes for measuring railway noise annoyance. Finally, informal conversation with respondents in the course of a social survey can provide valuable insight into the mental and psychological processes of perception.

En bureaux ouverts, le bruit de parole des autres occupants représente un facteur de gêne important. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer les outils de prédiction du pouvoir de nuisance de la parole et de proposer des voies d’amélioration. Ceci nécessite de détailler l’influence des caractéristiques d’un bruit de parole qui peuvent rendre le travail plus difficile. Pour ce faire, plusieurs expériences basées sur des exercices mentaux classiques sont menées. La surcharge cognitive engendrée par le bruit de parole ambiant y est mesurée de façon objective et subjective. Dans un premier temps, l’étude est centrée sur l’influence de l’intelligibilité de la parole. En effet, certains auteurs proposent d’utiliser un indicateur d’intelligibilité, le Speech Transmission Index (STI), pour prédire la nuisance dans un bureau ouvert. Les résultats obtenus confirment cette influence de l’intelligibilité. Cependant, les bruits de fond rencontrés en bureaux ouverts peuvent être fortement fluctuants. Ceci a un effet sur la nuisance dont le STI ne peut rendre compte. Dans un second temps, une alternative permettant de rendre compte de la variabilité temporelle de réelles ambiances sonores de bureaux est donc proposée. Le pouvoir prédictif de cet indicateur sur la perturbation au travail est évalué pour plusieurs types de tâches. Si les effets observés sont faibles, en particulier au regard des différences de sensibilité au bruit entre individus, la prise en compte des fluctuations de niveau pour un environnement sonore donné semble bel et bien essentielle à la prédiction chiffrée de la gêne sonore causée. De plus, l’évaluation subjective de la gêne s’avère être un complément essentiel à l’évaluation objective pour rendre compte de l’influence de certains facteurs. / Speech noise is a major cause of annoyance in open-plan offices. The purpose of this research was to assess the quality of existing tools for predicting the nuisance potential of speech and highlight possibilities for improvement. The ways in which speech sounds influence noise annoyance were thus investigated. To this end, experiments were carried out based on classical mental tasks, with concurrent objective and subjective measurements of the increase in mental workload caused by ambient speech. First, the effect of speech intelligibility was studied. Indeed, some argue for the use of a speech intelligibility measure, the Speech Transmission Index (STI), to predict noise annoyance in open-plan offices. Results confirmed the increase in disruption caused by speech made more intelligible. However, the STI was incapable of predicting noise annoyance for fluctuating background sounds, which are usual in open-plan offices. An alternative was then provided that accounted for the temporal variability seen in actual office sound environments. The predictive ability of this measure was assessed for varied tasks. The resulting effects were small when compared with individual differences in susceptibility to speech noise. However, they indicated that allowing for level fluctuations in the sound environment is essential to quantifying the induced noise annoyance. Moreover, it appeared that subjective measurements of noise annoyance were a critical complement to objective measurements for identifying certain causes of noise annoyance.

Il est aujourd’hui accepté que le bruit de parole représente la principale source de gêne pour les employés des bureaux ouverts. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer les effets psychophysiologiques de la parole intelligible sur les salariés effectuant une ou plusieurs tâches. Pour répondre à cet objectif, deux expériences ont été réalisées. La première a pour but d’évaluer le décrément de performance (DP) lors d’une tâche de sériation pour de fortes valeurs d’intelligibilité. L’indicateur acoustique choisi est le STI (« Speech Transmission Index »). Les résultats de l’étude menée auprès de cinquante-cinq participants montrent un effet du STI sur le DP. Cependant, cette expérience a une validité écologique réduite puisqu’elle est de courte durée et qu’elle est limitée à une tâche très spécifique. La deuxième expérience a donc pour but d’élaborer des tests en laboratoire plus proches des conditions de travail en bureau ouvert et d’étudier l’effet de la parole intelligible sur des indicateurs psychologiques. Trente-neuf participants ont participé à cette expérimentation. Plusieurs mesures telles que la fatigue psychologique, la gêne sonore et la charge mentale de travail ont été réalisées. Les participants ont été soumis à trois conditions sonores différentes (bruit stationnaire, bruit modulé et parole) durant trois journées. Chaque jour, les participants ont réalisé leur travail en étant exposés à la même condition sonore pendant 6h45min. Les résultats montrent un effet de la parole sur l’état psychologique des participants. La parole semble être la source de bruit la plus fatigante et la plus gênante. Elle entraine également une charge mentale supplémentaire. Au-delà des résultats de ces expériences, les modèles psychologiques mobilisés lors de cette thèse peuvent être adaptés pour mener des enquêtes in-situ afin d’évaluer et prévenir les risques psychologiques liés aux bruits dans les bureaux ouverts. / It seems now accepted that speech noise in open-plan offices is the main source of annoyance for employees. This work aims to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of intelligible speech on the employees performing one or multiple tasks. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted. The first experiment evaluates the decrease in performance (DP) during a serial recall task for high values of speech intelligibility. The chosen acoustical indicator is the Speech Transmission Index (STI). Fifty-five subjects participated during this experiment. The results show a significant effect of the STI on the DP. However, this experiment does not reflect the reality of an open-plan office because of the specificity of the task performed during a brief period of time. The second experiment aims to elaborate on laboratory tests which are closer to work conditions in an open-plan office and to evaluate the effect of intelligible speech on the psychological indicators. Thirty-nine subjects participated to the experiment. Different measurements such as psychological fatigue, sound annoyance and the cognitive workload were performed. The subjects were subdued to three different sound conditions (stationary noise, ‘speech-like’ amplitude-modulated noise and intelligible speech) during three days. For each day, the subjects did their work while being exposed to the same sound condition during six hours and forty-five minutes. The results show a significant effect of the speech condition on the psychological state of the subjects. The speech seems to be the most tiring and the most annoying sound source out of the three conditions. It also induces a supplementary cognitive workload. Hereafter the results of these two experiments, the psychological models applied during this thesis could be adopted to conduct in-situ surveys for purposes of preventing the psychological hazards due to noise in open-plan offices.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning indikerar att höga ljud i öppna kontorslandskap har negativ inverkan på kontorsanställdas prestation och välmående på arbetet. Trots att flertalet studier har gjorts kring olika kontorsmiljöer finns inte mycket forskning om hur ljud i öppna kontorslandskap påverkar behovet av återhämtning efter arbetstid. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning upplevelsen av höga ljudnivåer och störande ljud på arbetsplatsen har samband med behovet av återhämtning efter arbetstid, bland anställda som arbetar i öppna kontorslandskap. Metod: Metoden bestod av en kvantitativ enkätstudie av tvärsnittsdesign. Behovet av återhämtning mättes utifrån en kortversion av Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale. Ljudnivåer och ljudstörningar mättes utifrån formuläret Ljudstörningar och höga ljudnivåer i arbetsmiljön. Enkäten skickades ut till kontorsanställda på 16 olika arbetsplatser runtom i Sverige, varav sammanlagt 61 respondenter medverkade i studien. Resultat: En hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys visade ett positivt samband mellan höga ljudnivåer, ljudstörningar och återhämtningsbehov. Ett signifikant samband (p < .05) kunde konstateras mellan ljudstörningar och återhämtning som var oberoende av ljudnivåer. Däremot påvisades inget signifikant samband mellan ljudnivåer och återhämtningsbehov oberoende av ljudstörningar. Slutsats: Resultatet indikerar att störande ljud i öppna kontorslandskap har betydande påverkan på behovet av återhämtning efter arbetstid. Även om inget signifikant samband mellan prediktorvariablerna och utfallsvariabeln kunde påvisas kan ljudnivåer ändå vara betydande för upplevelsen av störande ljud och behovet av återhämtning. För att kunna dra kausala slutsatser är fortsatt forskning genom prospektiva studier nödvändigt. / Background: Research indicates that open plan offices are accompanied by high noise levels which have a negative impact on performance and wellbeing at work. However, little is known about how noise levels and noise annoyance associate with need for recovery (NFR) among employees in open-plan offices. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between experiences of high noise levels, noise annoyance and need for recovery among open-plan office workers. Method: The study was performed with a cross-sectional design. Need for recovery was measured with a short version Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale and noise levels and noise annoyance was measured with Noise Annoyance and High Noise Levels in Work Environments. The questionnaire was sent out to 16 workplaces in Sweden and contained responses from 61 employees. Results and conclusions: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed a positive association between experienced high noise levels, noise annoyance and NFR. A significant (p < .05) association was found between noise annoyance and NFR, independent of noise levels. However, no significant association was found between noise levels and NFR when both predictors were included in the same model. Results suggest that noise annoyance, compared to noise levels, has a more important impact on NFR. Even if no significant association were found between both predictors and the outcome variable, noise levels might influence the experience of noise annoyance, and therefore also be important for NFR. However prospective studies are needed for causal inferences.

No description available.

Die hohe Inzidenz von 300 bis 400 Herzinfarkten pro 100000 Personen der Bevölkerung in Deutschland pro Jahr zeigt die hohe gesundheitspolitische Bedeutung der Vorsorge. Die Betrachtung des Lärms als möglicher Kofaktor bei der Pathogenese des Herzinfarktes beziehungsweise des plötzlichen Herztodes bildete den Schwerpunkt der epidemiologischen Lärmstudie in Berlin. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigte sich dabei vorwiegend mitdem Zusammenhang zwischen der Lärmempfindlichkeit und der Lärmbelästigung durch STrassenverkehrslärm. In den Analysen wurde die Korrelation zwischen beiden Variablen und die mögliche Beeinflussung dieser Korrelation durch soziodemografische Faktoren bestimmt. Im Rahmen einer Fall-Kontroll-Studie wurden für den Zeitraum von zwei Jahren die Angaben von 2235 Probanden ausgewertet. Die Datenerhebung fand im Rahmen eines circa einstündigen Interviews im Krankenhaus statt. Die Gruppe der Fälle bildeten die Patienten mit akuten Herzinfarkt. Die Kontrollgruppe setzte / The high incidence of heart attacks in Germany (approximately 300 to 400 cases for every 100000 people) emphasises the importance of heart attack prevention as a public health issue.Consequently, an epidemiologic study investigating chronic noise as a cofactor of the pathogenesis of the heart attack or sudden heart death is being conducted at the Charite University Hospital, Berlin. This thesis describes the relation between noise annoyance through road traffic noise and noise sensitivity as part of the aforementioned study. The correlations were determined by analysis between both variables while taking into account the possible influence of socialogical factors such as age, sex, lifestyle.To this end, data from 2235 persons were evaluated in a case-control-study within a two year period. Collection and evaluation of the data took place in the hospital and included a 1 hour 1 interview with the subjects. The subjects were taken from a pool of patients with current acute heart attacks, defined as having a acute heart attack within the period of two to ten days previous to the interview. Surgical patients without current heart complications were used as the control study group. Noise annoyance in the daytime and noise sensitivity had a little correlation of rp = 0,23. Correlation was rp = 0,19 between noise annoyance in the nighttime and noise sensitivity. 19 percent of variations of noise annoyance in the daytime were explained by noise sensitivity, sex, income and marital status in a multivariate analysis. 18 percent of variations noise annoyance in the nighttime were explained by noise sensitivity, age and education. 17 percent of variations were explained by noise annoyance and all socialogical factors in the case of dependence of noise sensitivity. There is a significant, but only little correlation between noise sensitivity and noise annoyance. An independent and separate inspection of both factors should be made in clinical studies of heart and circulation diseases, which include noise sensitivity and noise annoyance.

Le bruit, en particulier celui dû au trafic routier, est cité par de nombreuses études comme une source de préoccupation sociétale majeure. Jusqu'à présent les réponses des pouvoirs publics ne se basent que sur une quantification énergétique de l'exposition sonore, souvent via la mesure ou l'estimation du LA ou du Lden, et des prises de décisions relatives à la diminution du niveau sonore. Or des études psychoacoustiques ont montré que le niveau sonore n'expliquait qu'une faible part de la gêne sonore ressentie. Il est donc intéressant d'avoir plus d'information sur la source de bruit et de ne pas la réduire à un simple niveau sonore. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons de concevoir un outil permettant d'estimer la gêne sonore associée à chaque véhicule du trafic routier via l'utilisation de son signal audio et de modèles de gêne sonore. Pour ce faire, le signal audio du véhicule est isolé de l'ensemble du trafic routier urbain grâce à l'utilisation de méthodes inverses et de grands réseaux de microphones ainsi que du traitement d'images pour obtenir sa trajectoire. Grâce à la connaissance de la trajectoire ainsi que du signal, le véhicule est classifié par une méthode de machine learning suivant la taxonomie de Morel et al. Une fois sa catégorie obtenue, la gêne spécifique du véhicule est estimée grâce à un modèle de gêne sonore utilisant des indices psychoacoustiques et énergétiques. Cela permet l'estimation des gênes sonores spécifiques à chaque véhicule au sein du trafic routier. L'application de cette méthode est faite lors d'une journée de mesure sur une grande artère parisienne. / Noise, especially road traffic noise, is cited by many studies as a source of major societal concern. So far, public responses are based only on energy quantification of sound exposure, often by measuring or estimating LA or Lden, and sound-level reduction related decision are taken. Nevertheless, psychoacoustic studies have shown that the sound level explains only a small part of the perceived noise annoyance. It is interesting to have more information about the source of noise and not to reduce the information to its sound level. In this thesis a tool is proposed for estimating the noise annoyance induced by each road vehicle using its audio signal and noise annoyance models. To do so, the audio signal of the vehicle is isolated by using inverse methods, large microphones arrays and image processing to obtain its trajectory. The knowledge of the trajectory and of the signal allows the vehicle to be classified by a machine learning method according to Morel et al. taxonomy. Once its category obtained, the specific annoyance of the vehicle is estimated thanks to a noise annoyance model using psychoacoustic and energetic indices. This allows the estimation of specific noise annoyance for each vehicle within the road traffic. The application of this method is made during a measurement day on a large Parisian artery.

Thesis (DPhil (Geography and Environmental Studies))—University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The use of average energy aircraft noise contours as the sole means for guiding aircraft noise-based planning around airports is being questioned increasingly. A growing proportion of residents who live in neighbourhoods adjacent to airports are dissatisfied with the averaging procedure that is employed. In their experience of exposure to aircraft noise, particularly in the evening and at night when they are at home, the average energy aircraft noise descriptors are misleading. In order to effectively analyse the socio-spatial interaction of annoyance at and interference by aircraft noise, an alternative approach has been suggested – a supplemental noise perspective. Conventional approaches to aircraft noise land use planning based on average energy noise descriptors run the risk of being ineffectual, or even counterproductive, because they do not consider the central aspects of disturbance, namely the loudness of an event and the number of times events are heard. Consequently, an alternative measure to ameliorate the limitations of average energy noise contours is needed by which airport neighbours, the aviation industry and town planners can better understand the nature of the problem. Although supplemental noise analysis is not new, this study applies it to a South African international airport (OR Tambo) for the first time. The airport’s operations are typical of many busy airports close to large urban areas, serving domestic, regional and international routes. Reportedly, there have been few complaints about noise emanating from the airport, but when they are made they are usually about evening and night-time aircraft noise events. In the context of South Africa as a developing society in transition, where growth of urban settlements continues apace, average energy aircraft noise information must be enhanced by providing supplemental noise information. This study investigated the broad issue of land use planning around airports by employing two aircraft noise prediction models, namely the Integrated Noise Model and the Transparent Noise Information Package, to establish the various potential effects and consequences of night-time aircraft noise in noise zones demarcated according to supplemental aircraft noise information. The effects and consequences examined include annoyance, disturbance of sleep, telephone conversations, watching television and work or study, and the likelihood that people will move away to escape night-time aircraft noise. The perceptions of residents living in neighbourhoods around the airport were surveyed and the responses analysed according to noise zones classified as supplemental noise information. The results show that the airport’s neighbours are annoyed by aircraft noise and that aircraft noise interferes with normal household activities. This annoyance and interference decreases with increasing distance from the airport. Furthermore, reported annoyance and interference is greater in those areas where higher numbers of noise events are encountered, even at relatively low noise levels of 60 LAmax – something not evident from average energy noise contours. This finding strengthens the argument that it is insufficient to provide only average energy aircraft noise information when studying the impact of aircraft noise. To understand the situation more fully, supplemental noise information is essential. The study concludes with a framework constructed to apply supplemental aircraft noise information to the abatement and mitigation measures normally used to deal with aircraft noise.

Le bruit de la circulation routière, et en particulier le bruit des deux-roues motorisés, constituent une importante source de gêne sonore. Afin d’estimer l’exposition sonore dans les villes de plus 100 000 habitants, la directive européenne 2002/49/CE impose la réalisation de cartes de bruit stratégiques, basées sur l’indice Lden. Cet indice est également utilisé dans des relations exposition-réponse, afin de prédire les pourcentages de personnes gênées, notamment par le bruit du trafic routier. En couplant les cartes de bruit stratégiques et ces relations exposition-réponse, des cartes de gêne pourraient être établies. Toutefois, la pertinence de cet indice pour prédire la gêne due au bruit en milieu urbain est souvent remise en cause, car de nombreux facteurs acoustiques influents (e.g. les caractéristiques spectrales et temporelles) ne sont pas pris en compte par cet indice. Cette thèse vise à améliorer la caractérisation de la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain en considérant différentes compositions de trafic et la présence des deux-roues motorisés. Dans ce but, des expériences sont menées en conditions contrôlées. Une première étude a porté sur l’influence de plusieurs facteurs acoustiques relatifs aux périodes de calme et aux bruits de passage de véhicules sur la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain. Cette étude a conclu à l’influence de la présence de périodes de calme et du nombre de véhicules au sein du trafic routier urbain et à l’absence d’influence de l’ordre des véhicules routiers, de la position et de la durée des périodes de calme. Ces résultats ont été utilisés afin de mener la caractérisation physique et perceptive de différentes compositions de trafic routier urbain. La régression multi-niveau a été utilisée pour calculer la gêne, en considérant 1) des facteurs acoustiques influents à l’aide de combinaisons pertinentes d’indices et 2) un facteur non acoustique : la sensibilité au bruit. Dans les villes, le bruit routier est souvent entendu en situation de multi-exposition avec d’autres bruits. Dans le cadre de ces travaux de thèse, les situations de multi-exposition aux bruits routier et d’avion ont été étudiées. Pour cela, un travail semblable à celui mené pour le bruit de trafic routier urbain a été mené pour le bruit d’avion conduisant également à des combinaisons pertinentes d’indices. En vue de caractériser les gênes dues aux bruits de trafic routier et d’avion pour des situations de multi-exposition sonore, les données des précédentes expériences ainsi que celles d’une expérience conduite en situation de multi-exposition à ces bruits combinés ont été utilisées au travers d’une régression multi-niveau adaptée, comme cela a pu être mené dans la littérature. La régression multi-niveau a ainsi permis la proposition de modèles de gêne pour chaque source de bruit. Puis, la gêne totale due à des situations de multi-exposition à ces bruits a été étudiée, afin de mettre en évidence les phénomènes perceptifs mis en jeu. Des modèles de gêne totale ont été proposés, en utilisant les modèles de gêne due à chaque source. Enfin, les modèles de gêne obtenus pour chaque source et les modèles de gêne totale ont été confrontés aux données d’une enquête socio-acoustique. A cet effet, une méthodologie a été proposée afin d’estimer les différents indices des modèles à partir des valeurs du Lden, issues de cartes de bruit et utilisées pour définir l’exposition au bruit des personnes enquêtées. Cette confrontation a montré que les modèles proposés à partir d’expériences menées en laboratoire et couplés à la méthodologie d’estimation des indices à partir des valeurs du Lden permettent une bonne prédiction de la gêne in situ. / Road traffic noise, and in particular powered two-wheeler noise, constitute an important source of noise annoyance. In order to estimate the noise exposure in cities of more than 100 000 inhabitants, the European directive 2002/49/EC requires the elaboration of strategic noise maps, based on the Lden index. This index is also used in exposureresponse relationships, to predict the percentages of annoyed people, by road traffic noise for example. By coupling strategic noise maps and these exposure-response relationships, noise annoyance maps could be established. The relevance of this index to predict noise annoyance in cities is however often questioned, since many influential acoustical factors (e.g. spectral and temporal features) are not considered by this index. The aim of this thesis is to enhance the characterization of noise annoyance due to different compositions of urban road traffic including powered two-wheelers. To achieve this goal, experiments were carried out under controlled conditions. A first study concerned the influence of several acoustical features related to quiet periods and vehicle pass-by noises on the annoyance due to urban road traffic noise. This study demonstrated the influence of the presence of quiet periods and of the number of vehicles within the urban road traffic and to the absence of the influence of the order of the vehicle pass-by noises, the position and duration of quiet periods. These results were used to carry out the physical and perceptual characterization of different compositions of urban road traffic noise. Multilevel regression was used to calculate noise annoyance, by coupling combinations of indices relating to influential acoustical features and an individual factor: noise sensitivity. In cities, road traffic noise is often combined with other noises. In the framework of this thesis, noise exposure to road traffic noise combined with aircraft noise was studied. Therefore, the same work as the one performed for urban road traffic noise was carried out for aircraft noise, leading also to relevant combinations of noise indices. In order to characterize annoyances due to road traffic noise and to aircraft noise in a combined exposure situation, data from the previous experiments and from an experiment dealing with these combined noises were used through an appropriate multilevel regression, as done in literature. The regression allows annoyance models for each noise source to be proposed. Then, total annoyance due to combined noises was studied, in order to highlight the perceptual phenomena related to the combined exposure. Total noise annoyance models were proposed, using proposed annoyance model of each noise source. Finally, these single source annoyance models and total annoyance models were tested using data of a socio-acoustic survey. To do this, a methodology has been proposed to estimate the different indices involved in the annoyance models, from the Lden values obtained from the strategic noise maps and used to define the noise exposure of the respondents. This confrontation showed that the models proposed on the basis of experiments carried out under laboratory conditions and coupled with a methodology of estimation of the noise indices from Lden values, enabled a good prediction of in situ annoyance.

Noise currently represents a problem in society, which disturbs mainly inhabitants in populated areas. It decreases their quality of life and endangers their health. The sensitivity to noise is individual, yet it is possible to measure noise by various means and evaluate its intensity and impact on human beings. Noise as a part of the environment, is becoming on the basis of resident complaints a discussed matter on the town and city level. Their management of noise necessarily involves monitoring and taking subsequent precautions. This work deals with comparing objective and subjective methods in noise evaluation in urban environments and its impact on the quality of life and the health of the residents. It uses a method of the multicriterial evaluation of variant also known as the multicriterial analysis. It compares four approaches to evaluate noise; two objective involving measuring, one subjective using a survey method and one hybrid. The winning method represents the subjective evaluation, which has fulfilled given criteria and acquired a significance of 75 %. All variants included in the analysis are suitable for noise evaluation in outdoor environments on a local level. The outcome of this work is to recommend towns and cities in the Czech Republic to use the winning compromising variant,...