Noise testing for dummies

As part of Noise Action Week, visitors to the Edinburgh-based St. James shopping centre witnessed first-hand the damaging effects on hearing from prolonged exposure to gadgets such as i-pods and MP3 players.

During this year’s Noise Action Week, the City of Edinburgh Council set up a stand, within the shopping centre, for visitors to test out the effects their personal stereos could have on their hearing by using a special mannequin attached to a sound level meter.

The Head and Torso Simulator (HATs) equipment - provided by sound and vibration company Bruel & Kjaer UK - consists of a dummy with built-in ear and mouth simulators. These provide a realistic replica of an average, adult human head and torso for testing out external acoustic effects from headsets, microphones, headphones, hearing aids, audio conference devices and hearing protectors. The mannequin also has an adjustable neck making it ideal for testing mobile and cordless telephone handsets.

Bruel & Kjaer UK also provided one of its sound level meters, which records noise in real time and displays the results on its screen, allowing users to actually ‘see’ the noise levels and view the results against a graphic equaliser.

Noise Action Week is an annual event, created and coordinated by Environmental Protection UK (formerly NSCA), that aims to raise awareness neighbour noise. Local authorities, housing providers, mediation services and those involved in neighbour noise management benefit from being able to use the opportunity to promote solutions for tackling noise-related issues.

For more information about Bruel & Kjaer UK’s electro acoustic products, please contact: heather.wilkins@bksv.com

Ends

For additional information please contact:
Heather Wilkins
Marketing Coordinator
Bruel & Kjaer UK Ltd
Telephone: 01438 739 000
Web: www.bksv.co.uk
e-mail: heather.wilkins@bksv.com