In Victoria, construction activities are a part of daily life. Whether we live in the suburbs or work in the city, there’s usually some kind of construction happening nearby. It’s important to understand the types of noise that might occur, the impact it can have and ways to manage it.
Common sources of noise coming from construction sites include:
- earth moving machinery, such as bulldozers, loaders, excavators
- compactors
- vibratory rolling – machinery rolled over a surface to make it compact
- pile driving – boring steel and concrete into the ground
- rock breaking – machines used to break up rock and concrete
- diesel generators
- power tools and other machinery
- site radios
- heavy vehicle movement to, from and at the site
- loud voices.
How construction noise impacts people
Noise from construction-related works can disturb everyday activities requiring mental concentration, like reading or studying. Out-of-hours construction works can disturb sleep. Loud and ongoing noise can impact the quality of people’s lives and cause stress. This risk is greatest when there’s poor management of construction noise, and it happens near sensitive receivers, such as:
- homes
- workplaces
- schools, kindergartens and child care centres
- hospitals and other sensitive areas.
Other types of sensitive receiver locations are where the environmental values in the Environment Reference Standard for ambient sound apply.
If unreasonable construction noise is impacting on you, report it.
For more information, see Noise and your health.
Find out about the different working hours and requirements to manage noise, and how to report noise by construction type.
About construction noise
Read more about construction noise
Construction noise: EPA’s role
Construction noise and the law
About roadworks and major infrastructure noise
Noise guidance for business: Residential construction
Reviewed 24 November 2021
