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26.
NOISE ABATEMENT
A great deal of research and investigation has been done during the year
in the prevention and suppression of unnecessary and excessive noise,particularly
from road breakers. This work has been widely publicised both by the
B.B.C. and the I.T.V. authorities, in the B.B.C. overseas broadcasts, in the
national press and in professional journals.
On the representations of the Chief Public Health Inspector in September
this year the Council decided to include in all future contracts let out by
them a clause limiting the amount of noise from road breakers. It is believed
that Shoreditch is the only local authority in the country to adopt this
measure and already many enquiries are being made from other local authorities
for advice on this important subject.
The result of Shoreditch Borough Council's determination to reduce the
noise from road breakers in the Borough has had repercussions far beyond our
expectations and at least one firm have produced a prototype model which will
soon be on the market of an entirely new design which will surpass the amount
of work done by any existing type of road breaker at a very much reduced noise
level. Advice was sought by the firm from this Department as to various
details of manufacture which have been incorporated in the design.
Hereunder is quoted extracts from a Report of the Chief Public Health
Inspector of demonstrations and trials which have taken place throughout the
year in connection with this important subject.
In April this year, invitations were extended to engineers of the four
statutory undertakings (exempt from the Noise Abatement Act), together with
representatives of local authorities, manufacturers of equipment and many
other interested parties, to witness that a dramatic reduction in noise can
be achieved with the loss of little efficiency using silencers (muffle covers)
on road breaking equipment.
These tests proved that a dramatic reduction in noise,more than 50%, with
a loss of efficiency of not more than 10% could be achieved.
As a result of the publicity given to this work, a well known firm of
electric road breakers issued a challenge that their electric road breaker
would hold its own and perhaps surpass the performance of any pneumatic road
breaker,with less noise,even when the pneumatic road breaker is provided with
a silencer.
It was therefore arranged for the electric road breaker to compete against
the pneumatic road breaker in Shoreditch,on the hardest section of road which
could be found.
The electric road breaker surpassed the performance of the pneumatic road
breaker, at the same time doing the work at a much reduced noise level.
The publicity given to this demonstration aroused certain manufacturers of
pneumatic road breakers who made very strong representations, requesting that
they may be allowed to provide their best equipment and compete against the
electric road breaker which had done so well in the previous demonstration.
This was agreed and the competition took place in Shoreditch on 23rd August
1962.
The electric road breaker and two pneumatic road breakers commenced