Noise measurement in a mechanized opencast bauxite mine: A case study

Abstract

Occupational noise is one of the most common pollutants in the mining sector. Prolonged exposure of miners to high levels of noise can cause noise induced hearing loss besides several non-auditory health effects. As these effects have a significant impact on people's health, it is essential to assess the noise exposure and to adopt ameliorative solutions. This work has been carried out to study the noise levels of different machines in a highly mechanized opencast bauxite mine of Odisha, India. A number of measurements have been carried out using an Extech 1/3 Octave band analyser and sound level meter to collect data where the miners are exposed to different tasks during the occupational process. Noise measurements were carried out at work places of 10 different machinery sources in the bauxite mine. The average noise levels generated from the different machines were compared with permissible exposure levels of workers as per OSHA guidelines. Further contour mapping was plotted to show the noise levels at each work place.