What is this standard about?
First published in 1967, this is the latest edition of a British Standard which describes how to rate and assess industrial and commercial sound.
Who is this standard for?
- Environmental Health Officers
- Acoustics and noise consultants
- Planning officials and design engineers
- Others wishing to use the standard for planning, legal and training purposes
Why should you use this standard?
BS 4142 is used to assess the impact of industrial and commercial sound. It covers a range of methods starting with subjective through objective, to the reference method. An assessor can decide what level of detail is appropriate in each case.
The standard also provides an assessment method for the problem of tones and an assessment method for impulsive sounds.
It acknowledges that the influence of the context in which the sound is heard is a significant modifier of the impact, in line with subjective assessments.
The standard supports current UK planning guidance and Environment Agency requirements on noise impact assessments.
What’s changed since the last update?
The standard has been amended to improve clarity in response to feedback from users. The consistency of the assessment of the impact has been improved and two of the examples have been rewritten.
This new version (June 2019) will ensure professionals are advised correctly to make valid and supportable planning decisions.