The Unit has wide expertise in the assessment of speech intelligibility , audibility of warning signals, and in the design and development of electroacoustic systems. A wide range of projects in this field were completed or started during the year. Two investigations were carried out to prepare evidence in criminal cases, in one case for a police force and in another for solicitors acting for a defendant. These involved measurements at crime scenes to assess whether voices and other sounds might have been heard, understood or identified in other parts of the buildings concerned. In contrast, noise measurements were carried out under a racing driver's helmet, during high-speed testing, to assess the performance of the speech communication system used by a leading Formula One motor racing team.
Improvements using alternative hardware and adaptive noise cancellation are under review.
Top Personal injury claims, hearing conservation The Unit is regularly instructed by solicitors in connection with employee claims for noise-induced hearing loss. Most of these claims relate to alleged long-term exposure to noise in manufacturing industries, although many relate to noise from communications or test signals through headsets . These require specialised measurement methods using an acoustic manikin or miniature microphones. Interesting inspections in connection with claims for noise-induced hearing loss include a nine hour trip on a sludge vessel down the River Thames, to assess the noise exposure of engine room personnel, and a visit to a 'paint ball war games' venue to measure the noise from a pyrotechnic device alleged to have caused traumatic hearing loss in a participant. A number of assessments of workplace noise have been completed, to meet the requirements of The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 and to assist employers in developing hearing conservation policies and procedures.