Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

Prefabricated concrete products are used in many different versions. The range includes paving stones, brims and masonry blocks, concrete pipes, manholes, wall and ceiling elements, columns, beams and special elements. These are produced on vibrating tables, block making or pipe making machines, which often produce a great deal of noise due to the process. Alongside these there are additional parts of the plant with high noise emissions, such as pump units and transport and packing equipment. Different sound pressure levels result, depending on the manufacturing step and the working equipment used. Noise is stressful for people. Both long and short-term exposures have negative effects, which range from a feeling of annoyance to acute or chronic damage to health. This prompted the Quarry Employer’s Liability Insurance Association (StBG) to commission the IFF Weimar e.V. to carry out an investigation into the current status of noise levels and the possibility of reducing noise in concrete plants.