Construction and building sites in Victoria are subject to a number of construction noise regulations. These regulations are in place to protect workers, nearby communities and the surrounding environment.

Read on to learn more about Victorian construction noise regulations, best practice controls and how Control Hire can help you to manage noise at your next construction site.

Victorian construction noise regulations

In Victoria, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) sets out the noise laws, regulations and guidelines. These regulations are implemented and enforced by local councils.

There are a number of different sources of construction noise, including:
● Earthmoving machinery, including bulldozers, loaders and excavators,
● Compactors,
● Vibratory rolling machinery that’s rolled over a surface to make it compact,
● Pile driving, which involves boring steel and concrete into the ground,
● Rock breaking machines that are 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, and
● Loud voices.

In Victoria, the general environmental duty (GED) applies to all construction sites. So, if you’re responsible for managing or controlling construction and demolition activities, it’s up to you to understand and proactively manage the risks of harm from construction noise to people and the environment.

It’s also worth noting that under the Environment Protection Act 2017, you can’t emit unreasonable noise from a construction site at any time of day. Unreasonable noise is based on noise limits that apply to construction and demolition sites.

As a general rule, normal working hours for commercial construction and demolition site noise are:
● Weekdays from 7AM to 6PM, and
● Saturday from 7AM to 1PM.

Some exceptions may apply depending on the specific type of construction work being carried out. For instance, there are often different noise management requirements for commercial construction, land development, residential construction and the repair or maintenance of an existing residence.

Commercial construction

Commercial construction typically refers to building works for shops, supermarkets, offices, warehouses and factories.

The civil construction, building and demolition guide (publication 1834) provides more information about managing noise from the construction of commercial buildings.

Land development

Land development sites include:
● Land development for commercial and industrial subdivisions,
● Urban redevelopment, and
● Large-scale residential subdivisions.

Construction noise linked to land development includes land preparation and infrastructure work such as earth moving, building roads and installing drains and sewers.

Residential construction

Residential construction and demolition include:
● Large-scale residential construction in residential zones,
● Large-scale multi-story residential apartments in non-residential zones,
● Building individual houses or small unit developments, and
● Home renovation and extension.

Repair and maintenance of an existing residence

The Environment Protection Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) apply to construction activities for the repair or maintenance of an existing residence. These Regulations prohibit noise from construction equipment if neighbouring residents can hear it in their homes, on:

• Weekdays before 7AM and after 8PM, and
• Weekends before 9AM and after 8PM.

This also applies to power tools and vehicles.

Best practice noise control regulations

While eliminating the source of noise is always the best course of action, it’s not always possible on a busy construction site. Instead, the next best solution is to use substitution or implement engineering controls to reduce noise exposure to workers on site, people surrounding the construction site and the local environment. There are a number of engineering controls that are considered best practice when it comes to controlling construction noise, including temporary cutting stations and noise control barriers.

Temporary cutting stations are portable acoustic enclosures that can be erected around your construction site to contain and reduce noise pollution from cutting activities. These enclosures tend to be fully soundproofed to prevent unreasonable noise from bouncing off the surfaces of your construction site. Plus, they can also help to contain debris and minimise exposure to harmful dust.

Alternatively, you can position noise control barriers around noisy equipment or work areas to contain and reduce noise levels. These barriers can be made of absorptive materials, like PVC mesh, to help absorb unreasonable noise rather than deflect it.

You can even get acoustic barriers that are built into a folding frame to provide a more effective acoustic shadow when it comes to cornering and quietening your noisy work site areas and equipment. These lightweight frames are portable, allowing for quick and easy setup around your construction site.

Keep construction noise in check with Control Hire

At Control Hire, we specialise in a wide range of noise reduction solutions for construction sites. We’ve even created our very own innovative Noise Control Wall to directly address industry challenges that our clients were facing. This all-in-one solution achieves an 85% Noise Reduction Coefficient, which is far superior to any other noise control wall available. Plus, it’s made from recyclable materials and is fully recyclable itself, making it an effective and sustainable solution.

Explore our collection of temporary sound barriers, cutting stations and generator enclosures or get in touch with the team to discuss your site requirements.