Noise Surveys for Industrial Facilities in Quebec

Operators of industrial, commercial, and agricultural facilities in Quebec holding a ministerial authorization may be required to have a noise survey carried out, typically after start-up, after new equipment is installed, or following a complaint. In a noise survey, the sound levels produced by the facility at the neighbouring dwellings are measured and compared with the regulatory limits. An application for an authorization is supported by a predictive noise study, which forecasts those levels before the start of the facility commissioning.

When a Noise Survey Is Required

The ministry (MELCCFP) most commonly requests a noise survey where a facility has commenced operations, or where new equipment or new operations liable to produce significant noise have been installed. A survey is also requested where the authorization carries it as a condition, where a neighbour has complained, and after noise control measures have been implemented, to establish the reduction achieved.

Quarries and sandpits are subject to a distinct requirement. Where a dwelling or a public establishment lies within 600 m of a quarry or 150 m of a sandpit or gravel pit, the regulation requires the operator to have the sound levels evaluated by a qualified professional at least every three years, for as long as that condition exists.

The measured levels are compared with the limits of the environmental noise guidelines, or of the regulation governing the sector.

What distinguishes a noise survey from a simple sound level measurement is that the measurements establish the sound levels produced by the facility alone, which requires the background sound to be characterized separately and removed.

Noise Survey for a Facility in Operation

A noise survey typically includes the following work:

• Facility and site information — Sonvera requests the equipment list with operating schedules, the authorization and its conditions, and the predictive noise study or any previous survey
• Survey plan — the neighbouring dwellings and other sensitive locations are identified, the applicable limit is established for each one, and the measurement periods are set to cover the hours during which the facility operates
• Measurements — sound levels are measured at each location over the periods concerned, with the background sound characterized separately so that the levels produced by the facility can be established
• Source measurements, where a limit is exceeded — the sound emissions of each piece of equipment are measured individually to establish which ones govern the sound levels at the neighbouring dwellings
• Report — the measured sound levels are compared with the applicable limit, in the form the regulation or the authorization requires, with the instrument calibration and the measurement conditions documented

The result is a report that establishes compliance for the period surveyed, and that identifies the equipment responsible for the sound levels where a limit is exceeded.