DOES YOUR SITE NEED A NOISE AND VIBRATION MANAGEMENT PLAN?
All waste management facilities are expected to control and monitor emissions from activities that may cause pollution in line with the terms stipulated within their environmental permit. Noise and Vibration caused by site operations are classified by the Environment Agency (EA) as polluting activities, and thus a Noise and Vibration Management Plan might be deemed necessary by the EA at some sites.
A Noise and Vibration Management Plan must be produced by an operator where the Environmental Risk Assessment identifies that site operations could cause pollution from noise or vibration beyond the site boundary.
The EA may also ask an operator to submit a Noise and Vibration Management Plan under the following conditions:
- where the EA consider noise or vibration pollution to be a risk beyond the site boundary, and
- where after obtaining a permit, the operator causes noise or vibration pollution but does not already have a Noise and Vibration Management Plan in place as part of their Management System.
Where a bespoke permit is being applied for, a Noise and Management Plan may be required if any of the following conditions apply:
- activities use noisy plant or machinery, for example cooling equipment or fans;
- where the operator will be carrying out any noisy operations, such as loading or unloading, shredding, shearing, crushing, grinding, combustion, using trommels and conveyors or moving bulk materials;
- where activities are not contained within buildings;
- if some activities take place at night;
- if where the area where the operator is intending to carry out the activity is sensitive to noise, for example rural areas, which may have quieter background noise levels than urban areas, and
- where there are sensitive receptors located close to site, for example houses or habitats.
The above issues should also be covered in the Environmental Risk Assessment if they are applicable.
All Noise and Vibration Management Plans WRM produces for its clients are done so in accordance with the latest industry guidance; currently the Environment Agency’s Technical Guidance Note H3 (Part 2) – Horizontal Guidance for Noise, and Sector Guidance Note (SGN) IPPC 5.06.
If you are a waste operator, and have been requested by the EA to produce a Noise and Vibration Management Plan, then contact our expert consultants (we are a friendly bunch) on 01943 468138.
