Warehouses, loading docks, and other industrial building can get awful loud, due to machinery, vehicles, climate control, and all of the other noise producers. While earplugs and earmuffs are quick and easy fixes, they can create some problems as well. These types of hearing protection can make communication difficult at times, which brings in its own set of safety issues.
Thankfully, there are options that can help to reduce noise while keeping communication possible. Some of them are easy to install, some not so much. Similarly, some of them are relatively inexpensive, while others might be a bit difficult to fit into the budget.
Sound Baffles
Cost effective and easy to install, these can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They will hang vertically from the ceiling and deflect and break up sound. They are solid, inflexible and small, and are not very intrusive. Sound baffles are very popular in applications where design is still important, as they can be incorporated much easier than the other option that are available.
Sound Blankets
Flexible, noise absorbing material that is attached to walls so that sound is deadened at the wall, sound blankets are also very affordable, and can be improvised out of cheap materials if needed – in a pinch, spare carpeting or actual blankets can work. However, those materials tend to be on the flammable side, and hangings in a warehouse can accumulate dust, making their flammability even worse. As long as you keep them clean, they are a good investment as they stay out of the way.
Acoustic Drapes
Somewhat of a cross between sound baffles and sound blankets, these drapes hang lower than baffles, and are made of flexible material. This allows for them to be flexed to easily change the acoustics. By bunching them up, the level of sound absorption than be increased, while spreading them can reflect sound and act as a sort of partition. Much like the sound blankets, these can collect dust and, due to their construction, and very flammable. This makes them a bad idea in a workshop where sparks may fly.
Acoustic Panels
Large egg-crate-like panels that hang horizontally, these panels are perfect for keeping noise from bouncing off of the ceiling and echoing. The uneven surface jumbles and disperses the sound, keeping it from bouncing off of the hard surface of the ceiling. This is what you see in large arenas and auditoriums, as they are incredibly effective. However, they are also the most expensive of the options, and require the most attention – the top side of the panels are usually dust magnets.
Partitions
While acoustic drapes can acts as a weak sort of semi-partition, a full partition will be heavy duty, and hard to move, up to and including permanent walls. These won’t so much negate the sound so much as contain it. By compartmentalizing the noise, you only need to worry about hearing protection when you’re within the area of operation. A hard partition, incorporating sound absorbent hardware and insulation, can keep the sound in one spot, making the rest of the workshop or warehouse nice and quiet. Partitions or permanent construction is obviously the most effective way to contain or disperse sound, but also the most expensive, not to mention the permits that may be required.
By using one of these methods in the construction of your warehouse or workshop, you can make it easier to carry on a conversation and stay safe inside your business, without any harm coming to your hearing or the hearing of your employees.