Evaluation of Noise Emission in a Textile Plant

Abstract

Textile industry is characterized by the use of complicated machinery in mass production methods in order to meet increased consumption demands. This situation brings with it some issues for the employees. Many of the machines used in textile industry are operating at high noise levels. In this study, noise measurements taken from dyeing/finishing and weaving divisions in an integrated textile factory in Malatya city, Turkey were evaluated. Frequency distribution of dominant noise is also examined. Workers in weaving division were exposed to higher levels of noise than those in dyeing/finishing. Accordingly, the noise level in weaving ranged from 99.2 to 101.1 dBA, while that in dyeing/finishing ranged from 77.1 to 79.3 dBA. It is also outside the 4000 Hz frequency zone, where the dominant frequencies of the maximum noise levels exposed by those working in the measured divisions fall in the middle frequency range to which the ear is most sensitive. Considering the frequency distribution, noise levels in the 4000 Hz region are calculated to be between 84.2 and 86.8 dBA in the weaving division and 60.0 to 61.9 dBA in the dyeing/finishing division. A noise histogram showed that noise in the weaving division had spread over a wider range than the dyeing/finishing division.