IS V2.1 As-Built, Env-2 Noise: How SiteHive Helps You Achieve it

In this article, we look into the detailed criteria outlined in the IS V2.1 As-Built, Env-2 Noise credit and how SiteHive can help you meet them.

If you’re managing noise on an infrastructure project, you’ve probably come across the ISC (Infrastructure Sustainability Council) credit called As-Built, Env-2 Noise. It may even be something you need to achieve on your project. 

This credit is designed to help manage and reduce construction and operational noise impacts. It aims to improve amenity for noise receptors, like nearby residents, wildlife or workers, by providing a guideline to identify noise sources, measure their effects, and implement effective noise mitigation strategies.

To obtain this credit, construction sites need to:

• Implement and monitor noise mitigation measures.
• Regularly engage with stakeholders and consider their feedback.
• Prove there are no major exceedances of noise goals.
• Implement real-time noise monitoring and public reporting.

The credit has three distinct levels, with level 1 representing the most basic approach and level 3 representing industry-leading pro-active management. Each level has distinct criteria that must be met to achieve the credit. 

Sounds like a lot? It can be, but SiteHive noise monitoring devices and software make it easy for you! From monitoring noise in real-time, sharing meaningful site information with your stakeholders and mitigating noise exceedances effectively, SiteHive helps you every step of the way, saving you time and money while you’re at it!

In this blog article, we’re breaking down all the criteria where SiteHive can help.

Level 1: Laying the foundation

Mitigating construction (ABL1.1) or operational phase (ABL1.2) noise starts with implementing measures identified during the design phase of the project and monitoring their effectiveness. Here’s how you can do it with SiteHive:

By following these steps, you’ll have all the evidence needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of your construction noise mitigation measures.

Meeting this requirement means working with your proponents/operators to ensure noise mitigation measures and monitoring are successfully implemented, documented, and handed over.

Here’s how you can do it with SiteHive:

• Project lifecycle monitoring: By using SiteHive technology on your project, from collecting baseline data through construction and into the operational phase, you’ll have a single complete system of record of the entire project lifecycle. This digital asset can be handed over from each proponent to the next, ensuring continuity in approach and complete documentation history.
• Streamline team collaboration: With SiteHive’s Daily Notes, everyone can easily add observations and explain noise events when needed. It’s a seamless way to keep everyone aligned and working smoothly together across different project phases.: If employees can’t hear warnings or instructions, the chances of accidents will increase.

That covers the basics of  Level 1 for the As-Built Env-2 Noise Credit. But the journey doesn’t stop here. Happily, level 2 isn’t much more work, as you can build upon the foundations you’ve set up in Level 1.

Level 2: Going above and beyond

Engaging with stakeholders effectively isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about building trust and ensuring a smooth relationship throughout your project. Showing transparency and accountability will help you manage expectations, avoid conflicts and complaints, keep nearby residents safe and prevent delays on your project. With the SiteHive Stakeholder View, you can provide real-time data to anyone who needs it, including regulators, subcontractors, community members, local businesses, environmental groups and more. Here are a few simple steps you can take:

• Share real-time data: Use SiteHive Stakeholder View to provide a curated view of your noise monitoring data.
• Encourage feedback: Open lines of communication and demonstrate transparency by sharing up-to-date live information.
• Address concerns early: Proactively mitigate potential complaints by reviewing and acting on feedback.

Read this blog to learn how to keep your stakeholders informed with real-time data during major construction.

Taking a proactive approach to noise management is simple with SiteHive, making it easy to demonstrate no major exceedances. Here’s how you can do it: 

• Deploy SiteHive Hexanodes at strategic locations: Comprehensive noise monitoring at both sensitive receivers and on-site gives project teams a complete picture of site activity and what can be heard by receivers.
• Set up live alerts and notifications: With SiteHive Enviro, you can set up email and SMS notifications so you instantly know when a threshold is exceeded and can act immediately.
• Understand exactly what’s happening: SiteHive Hexanode devices capture images and audio to give you eyes and ears across your site from wherever you are and in real time. With this, you can quickly identify noisy equipment or activity and intervene before issues occur.
• Keep a comprehensive record of your mitigation strategy: Use SiteHive Events to keep track of all your noise exceedances. With the Daily Notes, you can easily document all your events explanations and the measures taken to resolve them. 
• Prove you’re compliant: With the Audio Classifier, images and audio capture, you have all the context you need to show when a noise exceedance is not generated by construction work.

These tools give you the confidence you need to manage your site’s noise proactively, ensure 100% compliance and stay one step ahead.

A significant challenge in noise management is that modelled scenarios quickly become out of date as site activities are highly dynamic and don’t often actually reflect the scenarios modelled. There are a few simple steps you can take using SiteHive:

• Update your Background Noise Levels: You can use SiteHive Enviro to automatically calculate new background noise levels. Our technology uses the NSW EPA 10th percentile method and removes any weather-affected periods based on data directly from the nearest BOM or site-based weather station.
• Comprehensive monitoring: SiteHive Hexanodes are budget-friendly, making it easy to roll out multiple devices across your operations. This lets you check model predictions at different locations in real time, giving you instant feedback on your site’s productivity. And more often than not, getting more work done than originally modelled!
• Provide comprehensive data: You can give the team undertaking the noise modelling access to SiteHive Enviro so they can see the actual results in real time and update the models accordingly.
• Validate model assumptions with AI: The SiteHive Audio Classifier provides a detailed breakdown of what is causing noise, enabling you to verify and refine modelled assumptions of equipment usage, generated sound levels and vehicle movements based on real-world observations.
• Monitor your site’s new operations in real-time: Use SiteHive devices and software to monitor your site’s noise activity and show new operations are not generating recurring or major exceedances.

With Level 2 in the bag, Level 3 is within reach. Now, let’s dive into Level 3 to understand its two criteria and how SiteHive can help you meet them.

Level 3: Industry-leading practices

Noise isn’t just a potential issue for humans. Local fauna is equally likely to be affected. When reviewing noise impacts on local fauna, establishing a strong relationship and collaboration with an ecologist is essential. You need their expertise to prove mitigation strategies to reduce impacts on local fauna are effective. This is how you can use SiteHive’s noise monitoring solution to do so: 

• Deploy devices in sensitive zones: Our compact and portable monitoring devices are quick to install and easy to move. You can set them up in areas where fauna are active. Monitor noise impacts in real time and ensure your project is in sync with the local environment and its wildlife.
• Complete reporting for ecological assessments: Use SiteHive Reports to provide detailed noise impact analysis and support ecological assessments. 
• Ensure adaptability: Use live insights to adjust your mitigation strategy as needed and minimise harm to local fauna.

By applying those simple rules, you have all the tools you need to protect the environment and validate your mitigation efforts.

Achieving the last criteria of Level 3 requires the highest transparency standards with real-time insights available to the public. This is as simple as sharing a link with the SiteHive Stakeholder View:

• Enable real-time access: Share live noise data through the Stakeholder View. You can choose which data you want to share and configure various options, including averaging periods, parameters, delays to data and more. We’ve made it all easy to understand for stakeholders.
• Facilitate public reporting: The Stakeholder View can be accessible through a simple link. You can also embed it directly into a dedicated website page.  

Following these simple rules shows you’re committed to responsible noise management and are accountable and transparent.

Meet the highest standards of efficiency and accountability with SiteHive.

SiteHive is all about making noise management efficient and hassle-free. Whether you’re a construction project or operational facility working toward Level 1 or aiming for Level 3, SiteHive helps you get there faster with less effort.

So, if you’re tackling the Env-2 Noise credit and want to see how SiteHive can help, get in touch today!