Practical considerations for assessing crew noise exposure in armored vehicles

Measurement and analysis of the continuous and intermittent noise produced by armored vehicle (AV) platforms, including the output from communications systems as experienced by crew, are necessary for the purposes of exposure prediction, to support the selection of hearing protection and communication devices, and to facilitate assessments of compliance with occupational health and safety legislation. Practical estimation of the personal noise exposure of AV crews requires the assessment of the vehicle, communications and special-to-role activity noise sources, and an understanding of how these sources combine. Procedures are described that consider instrumentation requirements, AV configuration and build standard, operating conditions representative of actual use, the application of speed thresholding to measurements, and derivation of communications noise levels. Real-world examples are given where these procedures have been applied to an in-service tracked AV to estimate crew noise exposure. The procedures and methods presented are a compromise between precision, repeatability, reproducibility, and pragmatism. Measurements of AV noise are expected to be obtained during the commissioning stage of vehicle design, immediately prior to the vehicle being put into operational service and following any major modifications to the vehicle to inform the necessary engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment control measures.