Construction sites should alert the public to upcoming noisy works

Construction works produce noise – a fact that is long-known by the community, contributing the noise pollution today besides noise from road traffic and from commercial works.

As such, the Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) encourages for construction sites to do more to inform the public about upcoming noisy works. MBAM suggested for construction owners or person-in-charge to get engaged with the resident associations nearby the site to make sure that they are aware about the upcoming noisy operational works.

More importantly, the steps and mitigation measures that will be implemented for nuisance reduction should also be announced. 

MBAM urges for all individuals and companies from the construction industry to adhere with the guidelines published by the Department of Environment Malaysia and other local councils to effectively control and mitigate noise.

On the other hand, the public should also be more understanding of the issue, that construction noise is temporary. As long as the guidelines are followed, the short-term noise should be within tolerable range.

“Under normal circumstances, construction noise levels vary, depending on the type and stage of the works. For example, piling and demolition works tend to generate higher noise due to the nature of the activity and type of equipment used,” MBAM explains.

There will me time limit for operations, if the construction site is located near a residential area or within a public area. Also, sites at these locations should use mitigation measures like hoardings or temporary barriers to control the noise spread.

“Some of the available machines and tools in the market like jaw crushers, injection piling, hand-held, rig-based coring and electrically-operated machines, provide a range of options to reduce noise during construction works.”

“With many new innovative ways, the industry is definitely transitioning to better solutions such as using the Industrialised Building System which can significantly reduce noise levels, ” MBAM adds.

The Industrialised Building System (IBS) is a construction technique using components manufactured in a controlled environment, either on or off site, then assembled into construction works.

However, the MBAM admitted that it is challenging to carry out most construction works without a certain amount of noise being generated.

“For many projects, noise pollution mitigation will often be addressed during the planning stage by selecting suitable construction methods and machines considering the location and surroundings of the project.”

“Most construction activities that generate high noise levels should be planned and carried out during the day.”

“Low level noise activities can be carried out during extended working hours or at night, with the approval of the local council. Too many restrictions would affect a project’s progress,” says MBAM.