Noise & Vibration Can Be Silent Killers

As Indians, we are used to the noise that surrounds us every day. Be it vehicular sounds, people’s conversations in densely populated localities, repair work going on in one’s own or a neighbour’s house, animal sounds or the noise produced at construction sites.

More often than not, we are oblivious to the effects of all this noise and vibrations produced from it, which are not always positive. Especially when it comes to the vibration produced by a construction site.

Here are some of the harmful effects of noise and vibration:

  • Can cause noise-induced hearing impairment.
  • Affects many physiological conditions of the body like heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate.
  • Causes mental stress and anxiety.
  • Has shown to cause a lack of concentration, fatigue, lack of self-confidence and decreased productivity.
  • Interrupted sleep or lack of sleep caused by a noisy environment has shown to have a negative effect on the physiological conditions as well.
  • In children too, increased exposure to loud noises and vibration has shown to adversely affect their cognitive behaviours.
  • The vibration, if not monitored, can even result in cracks in the walls of neighbouring buildings.

With the rapid advancement in urban housing and cropping up of gated communities, it is not uncommon to have some construction activity going on in the neighbourhood. It is a general tendency to ignore the disturbance caused by noise and vibration produced by construction activities.

While stopping the builder from constructing is not possible, did you know that the vibration could be controlled and monitored to fall within the permissible limits? But not every builder follows the stipulated protocols.

As a resident, you are completely within your rights to urge the builder to hire an expert who can help them monitor their vibration levels and bring it down to permissible limits.

Uttam Blastech offers end-to-end solutions on construction, mining and excavation and provides expert analysis on vibration monitoring.