What is BS 4142?
Responses to sound can be subjective and are affected by many factors. This can include the margin by which sound exceeds the background sound level, time of day and change in the acoustic environment, as well as local attitudes to the source of the sound and the characteristic of the neighbourhood.
BS 4142:2014 has been amended. The new British Standard BS 4142:2014+A1:2019 Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound provides a method of assessing the impact of a source of industrial or commercial sound including sound from:
- industrial and manufacturing processes
- fixed installations
- the loading and unloading of goods
- mobile plant and vehicles that is an intrinsic part of the overall sound emanating from premises or processes
The standard can be used to assess sound, including a change of sound, as a response to a complaint or as part of a planning application. It supports current UK planning guidance and Environment Agency requirements on noise impact assessments. The standard does not include sound from passing vehicles on roads or railways.
BS 4142 is one of the UK’s most widely used standards for the assessment of environmental noise.
