Clitheroe
Shap
Horwich, Bolton
Chorley
Horwich, Bolton
Clitheroe
Shap
Horwich, Bolton
Chorley
Horwich, Bolton
From extracting and moving stone to crushing and screening it, many everyday quarry activities create noise. Some of that noise is unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean it’s left unmanaged.
Noise control forms part of how a quarry is planned and operated. Wherever possible, the first step is to make the source quieter. Careful site layout, screening, well-maintained machinery, suitable working hours and regular monitoring can then help reduce its impact further.
The right approach will vary from one quarry to another. It depends on the activities taking place, the equipment being used, the surrounding landscape and the location of nearby homes or businesses.
Quarry noise comes from a mixture of fixed plant, mobile machinery and material handling. Drilling and extraction break rock from the quarry face, while crushers and screens reduce and separate it into different sizes. Conveyors, excavators, loaders, pumps and generators can all add to the overall sound across the site.
Loading and tipping create shorter bursts of noise as stone is dropped into hoppers, vehicles or stockpiles. Haulage vehicles, reversing warnings and maintenance work may also be noticeable. At quarries where blasting is used, this creates a brief, planned event rather than continuous noise.
Not all quarry noise sounds the same. Some machinery produces a steady background sound, while tipping, alarms or a loose component can be shorter, sharper and more noticeable.
Where the activity takes place also makes a difference.
A machine working behind a quarry face may be less noticeable than the same machine operating on exposed ground. Distance, wind, surrounding land and existing background sound can all affect how it’s heard beyond the site.
Noise is managed both to protect people working at the quarry and to limit its effect on the surrounding area. Although the two are connected, they involve different risks and are assessed separately.
Repeated exposure to high noise levels can cause permanent hearing loss or tinnitus. The risk depends on the volume, length of exposure and whether the sound includes sudden peaks.
Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers must assess these risks and take steps to reduce exposure. Hearing protection may also be required where other controls can’t reduce it sufficiently. The HSE’s noise guidance explains these responsibilities in more detail.
Quarry operations may also be heard at nearby homes, businesses and other sensitive locations. How noticeable the sound is depends on its volume, timing, duration and character, as well as the distance, landscape and existing background noise.
Worker exposure and off-site noise are measured differently. Controls therefore need to protect the people closest to the machinery while also meeting the planning and operating requirements that apply beyond the quarry.
No single measure can control every source of quarry noise. The most effective approach usually combines quieter machinery, physical screening, sensible working practices and regular maintenance.
Noise can be considered when positioning fixed plant, haul roads and working areas. Quarry faces, earth mounds, buildings and purpose-built barriers may help screen activities, while shorter vehicle routes reduce the amount of time mobile plant spends moving around the site.
Routes can also be planned to limit unnecessary journeys and reversing. Where practical, noisier work may be kept further away from occupied buildings and nearby properties.
A quarry’s layout changes as extraction moves into new areas. Controls therefore need to be reviewed rather than left unchanged throughout the life of the site.
Noise output can be considered when machinery is bought, hired or replaced. However, even relatively quiet equipment can become louder if it isn’t maintained properly.
Worn bearings, damaged exhausts, loose panels and failing silencers can all increase noise. Covers, seals and vibration mounts also need to remain securely fitted and in good condition. Where it’s safe and practical, plant should be switched off rather than left idling unnecessarily.
Crushers, screens, generators and other fixed equipment may be enclosed or screened to contain sound close to its source. Barriers can also be placed between machinery and nearby working or residential areas.
Lined chutes and hoppers help soften the impact of falling stone, while isolation mounts can reduce noise caused by vibration passing into the surrounding structure. Enclosed control rooms and operator cabins provide further protection for people working nearby.
These controls only work properly when they’re kept in good condition. Damaged panels, gaps or enclosure doors left open can allow much more noise to escape. Safe access, maintenance and ventilation also need to be considered when an enclosure is designed.
Stone can create a sharp impact sound when it falls into a hopper, vehicle body or stockpile. Keeping drop heights as low as practical and using suitable linings can reduce this.
Operators can also avoid striking buckets against vehicles or hard surfaces and limit unnecessary rehandling. These may seem like small changes, but repeated throughout the working day they can make a noticeable difference.
Vehicle noise may come from engines, exhausts, tyres, rattling loads and reversing warnings. Maintaining vehicles and haul roads helps reduce avoidable noise, while suitable speed limits and well-planned routes can limit unnecessary engine use.
One-way systems may reduce the amount of reversing required. Different warning systems may also be considered where appropriate, but only following a proper safety assessment. Noise reduction must never come at the expense of pedestrian or vehicle safety.
Some temporary tasks, such as stripping soil, building screening mounds or maintaining site roads, can be particularly noticeable.
Their effects may be reduced by controlling when and where they take place, limiting their duration and avoiding several noisy activities running together where practical. The quarry’s planning permission may also set working hours or separate conditions for certain operations.
Drilling can produce sustained noise close to the working face. Suitable equipment, regular maintenance, careful positioning and enclosed operator cabins can all help manage it.
Not every quarry uses blasting. Where it is required, each blast is a planned event rather than part of the site’s continuous background noise. Its design, charge, timing and local ground conditions may all be considered, with monitoring and communication carried out where required by site procedures or planning conditions.
The air overpressure that creates the sound of a blast is different from vibration travelling through the ground. Although both come from the same event, they’re assessed separately.
Controlling the machinery or process itself remains the priority. Workers may then receive additional protection through enclosed cabins, distance from noisy equipment and clearly marked hearing-protection zones.
Where the risk assessment requires it, suitable ear defenders or plugs must be provided and worn correctly. Staff may also need training and health surveillance where there’s a risk to hearing.
Hearing protection supports the wider controls rather than replacing them. The HSE’s Controlling Noise at Work guidance explains how noise risks should be assessed and managed.
The type of monitoring used depends on what needs to be measured. Personal equipment may assess a worker’s exposure during a shift, while measurements at the site boundary or near a sensitive property look at noise beyond the working area.
Monitoring may begin with a baseline survey and continue through checks at agreed locations. Operators may also inspect silencers, barriers and enclosures, record the activities and weather at the time of a measurement, and review any changes to the plant or working area.
Complaints and unusual noise events should also be recorded and investigated. One brief reading may not represent conditions across an entire day, so results need to be considered alongside the source, location, duration and existing background noise.
No. The limits and measurements used depend on what’s being assessed.
Noise affecting employees is covered by workplace legislation, including the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Noise heard beyond the site is generally managed through planning permission, working-hour restrictions and conditions set for the individual quarry.
Government minerals-planning guidance explains that assessments should consider the noise sources, operating locations, schedules, duration, surrounding sound levels and nearby properties. Although the guidance helps authorities set suitable limits, it also makes clear that site circumstances matter.
The requirements for a quarry may therefore come from its planning permission, noise assessment, monitoring programme and operating procedures, as well as workplace safety legislation and any relevant environmental permit.
An unusual sound doesn’t always mean normal operations have suddenly become louder. A new rattle, hum or tonal noise may point to worn machinery, a damaged enclosure or a change in how equipment is being used.
The operator may:
This helps identify whether the noise was a brief event or a sign that something needs correcting.
Quarry noise management depends on sensible site planning, well-maintained equipment, careful working practices and controls that adapt as extraction moves across the site.
Read more about Armstrongs, the Environment and Our Communities or contact our team if you have a question about one of our quarry operations.
Common sources include drilling, crushing, screening, conveyors, mobile plant, vehicle movements and material being loaded or tipped. Blasting may also create short periods of noise at quarries where it’s used.
Controls can include selecting quieter equipment, regular maintenance, acoustic enclosures, barriers and careful positioning. Changing routes, drop heights and working practices can reduce avoidable noise too.
Sound-level meters may be used at the quarry boundary or near sensitive locations, while personal monitoring equipment can measure a worker’s exposure. The method depends on what needs to be assessed.
Yes. Wind direction and other weather conditions can make sound more or less noticeable in different locations. This is why weather may be recorded alongside noise measurements.
It depends on the quarry’s planning permission and operating conditions. Some sites or activities have restricted hours, so there isn’t one rule covering every quarry.
No. Whether blasting is used depends on the geology, extraction method and products being produced.
Workplace monitoring considers the noise an employee is exposed to during their work. Boundary monitoring looks at sound travelling beyond the quarry and its possible effect on surrounding locations.
Hearing protection is required where the noise assessment or designated zone calls for it. It supports measures that reduce noise at source rather than replacing them.
The operator may review the time, location, weather and activities involved before inspecting equipment or taking measurements. Any problem found can then be corrected and the controls reviewed.
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