Environment Agency ‘Method implementation document’ for BS 4142

The Environment Agency has published a ‘Method implementation document’ (MID) about BS 4142:2014+A1:2019 (BS 4142). This document sets out the Environment Agency’s requirements for BS 4142 assessments that are submitted for a new permit or varying an existing permit

The MID was published in March 2023 and updated in December 2023.

Part of the Environment Agency requirements are that the background sound must not include existing site sounds. During noise measurements, all site activities should be reduced where they no longer contribute to the background level and where they cannot be heard at the measurement location. The background sound level must not include any sound from the site.

This can be problematic for existing sites with current operations. The Environment Agency suggest that the site temporarily stops any noisy operations, or the use of a surrogate monitoring location (with justification).

In addition, the Environment Agency requires the BS 4142 assessment to consider all sound from a site, not just the new or increased portion.

WBM has undertaken many BS 4142 assessments for sites seeking new or varied permits, providing information to comply with the Environment Agencies requirements.

The links for the MID, and also for the noise and vibration requirements for environmental permits are provided on WBM’s website, see:
https://www.wbm.co.uk/documents/