Working with Construction Contractors

Companies planning a major construction project within a busy city centre must look beyond the project boundaries to mitigate the impact. Company managers must always adopt a good neighbour policy and ensure that the work does not negatively impact the community. If you're responsible for these areas, you will want to keep things like noise and dust levels as low as possible but must also pay close attention to vibration. What should be your approach here?

Setting Targets

A certain amount of vibration is almost unavoidable when heavy machinery is at work. The key is to keep it within regulated levels and ensure that it does not disrupt any neighbours significantly.

Planning Carefully

Much of this work will begin in the design phase when architects and engineers are around the table and figuring out how to proceed. They'll have access to industry information that should give them a good idea of how much vibration a particular construction strategy should create. They'll be able to determine how much vibration the entire site should generate when individual jobs coincide at various locations.

Introducing Vibration Analysers

It's also important to use state-of-the-art vibration analysers. You can install this equipment at suitable locations to give immediate feedback to you and your managers. You will typically position these analysers on the site boundary and undoubtedly next to any shared party walls if these are in place. You may also find it beneficial to work with neighbouring structures or communities and install a vibration analyser within their property. Of course, you'll have to discuss this with the neighbour but stress the benefits of such an installation.

Monitoring Vibration

This monitoring equipment can detect very low levels of vibration that a human being might not be able to perceive. It will undoubtedly track vibration levels that are so severe that they could cause structural damage to buildings.

Triggering Alerts

Installing the best equipment will automatically send alerts to you or your acoustic consultants whenever vibration levels get close to or reach a predetermined target. You will need to take the most appropriate action at that point, even if that means you halt construction while putting mitigation measures in place.

Avoiding Negativity

Give plenty of attention to this area to avoid serious repercussions. After all, you don't want to get a prohibition notice from the local authority, as this could certainly cause delays and could trigger financial penalties for missed construction deadlines.

Getting Professional Help

Reach out to acoustic consultants who will help you create your initial master plan and install construction vibration monitoring equipment to help meet your objectives.