Port of Houston switches to white sound back-up alarms to curb noise nuisance.
The Company
Construction work on the Port of Houston’s seaport, Bayport Terminal, is a long term project, which when completed, will bring economic expansion to the area.
The Problem
When construction began on the Bayport Terminal the noise pollution was disturbing local residents. The biggest cause for complaint was the loud and constant beeping of reversing alarms.
Reversing alarms are a necessary reversing safety aide, however conventional reversing alarms are fraught with noise and safety issues, especially when used out of normal working hours. Excessive exposure to a conventional beeping alarm can cause site workers to become desensitised and ignore warnings. The high pitched beeping can cause annoyance, fatigue and long term hearing loss, with multiple alarms causing disorientation.
The Solution
Charles Jenkins, Environmental Director for the Port of Houston commissioned a period of extensive product testing, before deciding that fitment of the bbs-tek® white sound reversing alarm to every bit of machinery working on the Port, was the best solution. This was a substantial investment but noise related complaints from the Bayport Area fell dramatically.
The bbs-tek® alarms emits a unique “ssh ssh” sound using multi frequencies. It is instantly locatable, so site workers and pedestrians are immediately aware of which vehicle is reversing and where it is coming from. It is directional, concentrating the sound in the danger area, reducing noise nuisance. White sound dissipates more quickly beyond the danger zone, so it is less of a noise nuisance to local residents and is less likely to be ignored by workers due to overexposure.
There is a range of bbs-tek® alarms with variable decibel ratings, to suit a host of applications such as buses, coaches and trucks. The heavy duty bbs-tek® is ideal for dump trucks, bulldozers and all heavy earth moving equipment.
For vehicles and machinery operating in areas with widely variable ambient noise levels, Brigade’s self-adjusting bbs-tek® alarms are ideal, when a fixed volume alarm would be either too quiet (hazardous) or too loud (noise nuisance).
Self adjusting bbs-tek® alarms take the guess work out of sound pressure level (SPL) to adjust the sound between 5 and 10 decibels above the ambient noise level.
Feedback
Les Blomberg, Director of Noise Pollution Clearinghouse said: “bbs-tek is significantly less intrusive in surrounding environments than narrowband back-up alarms. Our testing and analysis confirm that bbs-tek provides a superior warning for those in the danger area. It is more easily located and less likely to experience interference from reflecting surfaces than narrowband back-up alarms.”
