ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)573
Vol.1979/0199

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)573 final
Brussels,26October1979
Proposalfora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
amendingDirective79/113/EEContheapproximation
ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtothe
determination ofthenoiseemissionofconstruction
*
plantandequipment
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission)'
C0M<79)573finalV
i
t

INTRODUCTION
ThisproposalforaDirective wasdrawnupundertheEuropean Communities *
1 ?■4M «<««« CEnvironment ActioriProgramme andSocialProgramme ,allofwhichunderline
theneedforactiononthenoiseemittedbynoisesourcesintheenvironment
andattheworkplace .Theneedtoapproximate legislation onconstruction .
plantandequipmentisalsostressedintheSupplement of21May1973^
included bytheCounciltonaproposal fromtheCommission ,inthegeneral
programme of28May19^9"toremovetechnical barrierstotradeinindustrial
products.
Theproposal alsofollowsupthestatement made "bytheMinisters ofthe
Enviror **ntwhentheyadoptedDirective 79/"!13/EEContheapproximation of
thelavoftheMemberSta.tesrelating tothedetermination ofthenoise
emission ofconstruction plantandequipment .Theystatedthatthepurpose
oftheDirective wastoenablealimittobefixed,inseparateDirectives ,
tothesoundemission levelofmachines and,ifnecessary ,tothesoundpressure
levelattheoperator'sposition.Allthetechnical particulars relating to
measurements attheoperator'sposition wouldbeenteredinanannextothe
separate Directives foreachmachineinquestion.
BACKJROUÎTD
Thema-inaimofthepackageofproposals fordirectives presented tothe
Councilonnoisefromconstruction plantandequipment wastoprotectthe
environment .Itbecameclearduringpreparation oftheseproposals ,
particularly theproposal onnoiseemittedbyjackhammers ,thatthenoise
levelattheoperator'spositionalsohadtobedetermined .
1)0JNo112,20December 1973
2)0JNoC165,11July1978
30JNoC38,5June1973
4)0JNoC76,17June1969
5)0JNoL33,8February 1979
6)OJNoC82.14April1975andOJNoC139,13Jrae1977

2.
Noise–inducedhearinglossisamajorprobleminourindustrialized
society.Alargenumberofstudies^have demonstrated thattheprobability
ofpermanent hearing damagecaused "bynoiseis"directlyrelatedtothe
noiselevelandlengthofexposure ofthepersonconcerned .Itishence .
essential ,inordertoprotectthehearingofoperators ofconstruction
plantandequipment ,toknowthevalueoftheparameters formeasuring
theirexposure tonoise.
M."SSiic2<athodmakesitpossible tomeasurethenoisegenerated bymachinesat
-thenoiselevelbeing oftheseparameters .
Thelengthofexposure canbecalculated fromtheworkperformed bythe
machine. ,
LEGISLATION INTHEMEMBER STATES
"ThereareatpresentgenerallawsintheMemberStatesonthehealthand
safetyofworkersandoccupation **]hygieneandsafety.Theygenerally
stipulate thatnoiseandvibrations imictnotexceedalevelcompatible with
thehealthofemployees exposed.Everyeffortmustbemadetoreduce
excessivenoiseand/orvibrationatsource.Ifnoisecannotbesufficiently
reducedbymeansofavailable technology ,employers mustintheoryprovide
employees withindividual protective equipment orreducetheirlengthof
exposuretothenoisebymeansofwork–'breaks,forinstance.
Theseideasareoftencouchedindifferent termsfromoneMemberStateto
another;thelegislation maybemoreorlesscoercive andmayincludepractical
instructions onstepstobetakenormeasuring methodstobeused*Thefact
thatthesepractical instructions andmeasuring methodsalsodifferfromone
MemberStatetoanother mayhaveadirecteffectontheestablishment or
functioning ofthecommonmarket.
1)Damageandannoyance causedbynoiseAAJR53989/1975
•••/•••

3.
There arenospecial laws intheMember States onconstruction plant
equipment ,which iscovered laygeneral legislation .»
LEGAL BASIS
■ ■■ ■ i i «
Because thegeneral provisions differ from oneMember State toanother ,
they may give rise to "barriers totrade when they affect products .This
proposal foraDirective supplements Directive 79/113/EEC.TheAnnex to
that Directive lays down thetechnical methods ofdetermining thesound
Ct3tjns*truc tionequipment ,which is •eiJ'sential forassessing
the acO' i»tio impact ofamachine ontheenvironment# This proposal adds
»
asecor ;,Annex totheDirective laying down themethod ofdetermining the
•noise .virelofmachines attheoperator 'sposition .
TheCommission therefore proflents this proposal foraDirective under
Article 100oftheEECTreaty . .
CONSULTATION OFTHE PARTIES CONCERNED
Inpreparing this Directive theCommission held extensive meetings with the
v'parties concerned ,i.e. theAdvisory Committee onSafety ,Ifcrgiene andHealth
Protection atWork ,theCECE (Committee forEuropean Construction Equipment
(manufacturers ))andtheInternational European Construction Federation
(entrepreneurs /users ).
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
During itswork onthis proposal ,theCommission liaised with theISO/TC43
Secretariat ,which ispreparing aninternational standard forthemeasurement
ofnoise perceived "byoperators .
••
Theaimofthis cooperation istoarrive atauniform international solution
tothis problem ,tofacilitate world trade *
•••/

Proposal for a
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
amending Directive 79/113/EEContheapproximation ofthe Laws of
theMember States relating tothedetermination ofthenoise emission
ofconstruction plant andequipment
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
/
THE COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community /
andinparticular Article 100thereof ,
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission , '
Having regard totheopinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,
Having regard totheopinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ,
Whereas provisions thepurpose cWhich istolimit noise atpositions
ofwork andmethods ofmeasuring noise differ from oneMember State to
another ,which means that ,when applied toconstruction plant ,they
constitute abarrier totrade insuch plant ,whereas such provisions should
therefore beapproximated ;
1Whereas Directive 79/113/EEC seeks toharmonize methods ofmeasuring
the sound levels ofconstruction plant andequipment ;
Whereas ontheoccasion oftheCouncil meeting held on18and 19December
1978 ,theMinisters fortheEnvironment stated that thetechnical provisions
forthemeasurement ofnoise attheoperator 'sposition should appear in
theAnnexes totheseparate Directive foreach machine inquestion ;
Whereas allthegeneral technical provisions relating tothedetermination
»
ofthenoise emissions ofconstruction plant andequipment should be
!
consolidated inoneDirective ^
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
0JNoL33>8.2.1978 .

Article 15
Directive 79/113/EEC ishereby amended asfollows :
Article 2shall bereplaced bythefollowing :
"Article 2
1» Where aseparate Directive provides forthedetermination of
thenoise emission oftheconstruction plant andequipment
referred toinArticle 1,such emission shall hedetermined in
accordance with the requirements ofAnnex I«
2« Where aseparate Directive provides forthedetermination ofthe
noise emission atoperator 'spositions oftheconstruction plant
.andequipment referred toinArticle 1,such emission shall "be
•••••-vyrfw.determined' inaccordance with therequirements ofAnnex II.
The iinex shall beamended asfollows :
(a) Theheading "Annex "shall bereplaced bytheheading "Annex I".
•c
.(b) Paragraphs 4«2and6.5shall "bedeleted .
«
AnAnnex IIshall beadded -the text ofwhich isannexed tothis Directive .
*■»
Article 2
1« Member States shall "bring into force thelaws ,regulations and
administrative provisions uecessary tocomply with this Directive
within eighteen months ofitsnotification .They shall forthwith
inform the Commission thereof#
2• Member States shall communicate tothe Commission the texts ofthe
provisions ofnational lawwhich they adopt inthefield governed
bythis Directive .
Article
This Directive isaddressed totheMember States *
Done atBrussels .

ANNEX
'JUOSEKII
METHOD OPMEASURING AIRBORNE FOISEGHtSRATED
BTMACHINES ATTHEOPERATOR 'SPOSITION
1° AIM
Theaimofthismethodistodetermine thenoicsemittedatthepositions
oftheoperators ofthemachines definedinArticle 1ofthisDirective .
Thevaluesobtained bythismethodmay"beusedasthedataforsetting
limitstonoiseemission frommacinesattheoperators® positions .Save
asotherwise indicated ,thesevaluesincludealltolerances .
Thismethodisapplicable unlessseparatedirectives laydowndifferent
orsupplementary provisions takingintoaccounttheparticular characteristics
ofcertaintypesofmachine *
2.SCOPB
2.1.Typeofnoise
Thismethodisapplicable toalltypesofnoisegenerated atthepositions
ofoperators machines .
2.2»Typecftest
This'methodshallbeusedwhentests,e.g.type-appro^ul tests,are.madeon
machines withmeormoreoperators *positions todetermine thesound
emissionlevel.Itisnotapplicable formeasurements todetermine directly
thelevelofanoperator'sexposureatMsposition .
2.3.Typeofmachine
Thismethodissuitable forallmachines whetherthereareoneormore
operators *positions .
Forthepurposes ofthismethod,thesituation nearthejnachineofaperson
whoisnotinvolvedinitsoperationisnotconsidered asmoperator's
position *' *

3. DEFINITIONS
3*1*Operator isanyperson whose presence isnecessary forthe
normal operation ofthemachine *
3.2*Equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level L. (T)f
expressed indJ3fisthequadratic mean with respect totime q
ofthesound pressure over themeasurement interval and isobtained from
thefollowing formula :
Τ
-1rp(t)2,+
LAeq(T)=10log,0?j(– )Adt
where
ι
p(t)isthesound pressure
•isareference pressure of20pac
T the measurement time .
* »■
4. .CRITEhlON ■VQBEUSED TOEXPRESS RESULTS
Theacoustic criterion for +u®positions ofoperators ofconstruction
plant andequipment isexpressed tytheequivalent continuous A-weighted
sound pressure level k^e^(T).
5* MEASURING INSTRUMENTS -. /
Thespecifications laid down inChapter 5ofAnnex Iaretoheused ,with th
extra requirement added toparagraph 5*3 ,that theexternal diameter ofthe
microphone must not exceed 13mm*
6. 0PERAT0RS
Theseparate Directives specify thepositions which operators aretooccupy
during thetests .
6.1 .Clothing specifications
During themeasurements ,operators must wear normal working clothes and
theequipment (e.g. safety helmet )normally prescribed fortheoperator 's
position inquestion *

3
6.2.Heiehtspecifications
6-P-1.Standing or»erator ;
•/V-t
Theoperator'sheight(wearingshoes)must "be'between1.62mand1.8?m.
6.2.2.Seatedoperator ,
'i'heheightofanoperator whenseatedmustbe"between0.85mand1.02m,
asshowninfigure 1. ' >
A=heightofoperator whenseated
7® MICROPHONE LOCATIONS
7»1»General
Foreachoperator'sposition ,onlyonemicrophone locationislaiddown;itisspecified intheannexestotheseparate Directives .General
guidance formicrophone locationisgiveninparagraphs 7«2and7«3»
7.2.Microphone location withnooperator present
7*2.1.Attheoperator'sposition (standingoperator)
Themicrophone isplacedattheposition normally occupied "bytheoperator,
ataheightof1.60mabovethesurfaceonwhichtheOperatorstands*fig.1
*
•••/•••

7*2.2 .Attheoperator 'sposition (seated operator )
Themicrophone isplaced atpoint AinFigure 2.
LOCATION OFTHEMICROPHONE WHEN THEOPERATOR ISSEATED fig.2
(measurements with nooperator present )
• •
150 +20mm *
'■ 'I
*1!
j
vif\'.J
(^–J
!" j–.–-£j>–––
~| '
I
I
I
\
I
I
I
^J^
–0
I
I
Aisthemicrophone position
:Ristheseat reference point asdefined "byISO5353 :1978 .
Thepoint isto "bedetermined with theseat placed asnear
aspossible tothemid-point ofitshorizontal andvertical
adjustment range ,thesuspension being depressed until the
seat reaches themid-point ofitsdynamic range .
7«3 «Microphone locations with operator present
Themicrophone isplaced :(a)totheside ofthehead where k.(T)is
highest ,gwri (b)at200-20mmfrom themedian plane oftheheadland ,in
line with theeyes .
•••/••<

5»
Note:Tofacilitate theplacingofthemicrophone ,itcanconveniently
bemounted onaframeorthehelmetorashoulder harness worn
bytheoperator .
Formeasurements whentheoperatorisseated,theseatmust "beadjusted
toallowtheoperator toreachthemachinecontrols comfortably *
8..iENTCROllT'ENTAL CONDITIONS
I 111 '
8.1.Measuring site ,
Themachineistobeinstalled inconditions identical tothosespecified
inparagraph 6.3ofAnnexI•
• ~r>ov*ri(5 -nrci . /■
'- i
Background noiseateachmicrophone locationmust "beatleast1063(A)
lowerthanthenoiselevelemittedbythemachine. 1
ι
9*INSTALLATION AMDOPERATING ,CONDITIONS -
9-1.General
Thepreciseconditions rorruired forinstalling andoperating themachine
arelaiddownintheannexe*,totheseparate Directives .
Theseconditions mustbetypicaleitherofnormaluseorofaprescribed
modeofusewhichwillcausethenoisegenerated attheoperator'sposition
tobesimilartothatemittedundernormaltu;?(seeparagraph 6.2.2of
AnnexI).
Theseconditions mast,ifpossible ,beidentified tothoselaiddownin
ilbS 1&IT?^X8Sj'Q"''*"*0 ^ d^ 0"0of"Mbc?
poweple-velofthesiaoîiine®
9®2.Operation ofmachineswithadjustable features (suchaswindowsthatmaybeopened'!"–– ^
9.2.1.Ifthemachinehasanyadjustable features which,although notdirectlyassociated withitsoperation ,willaffectthevalueof(T),
separatetestsmustbecarriedoutandareportmadethereon.
Precisedetailsoffeatures tobetakenintoconsideration willbeincluded
intheannexestotheseparate Directives .
9.2.2.Amachinehavinganoperator'scabwithdoorsandwindowsthatmay
beopenedduringnormalusemust:

a) ifnotfitted with full air-conditioning equipment ,"betested in
both open andclosed conditions .Where thewindows areclosed ,
anyair-circulating fanorpressurizing system must operate at
maximum rate .Thehighest L. (T)values must "beused forboth
open andclosed conditions *q
«
b) iffitted with full air-conditioning equipment fbetested with
thewindows closed andtheaii>-circulating -fanorfans operating at
their maximum rate . .
/
9«2.3» Thewarming-up ofthemachine (temperature ,oil,etc.)must be
carried out inaccordance with the manufacturer 'sinstructions .Ifthe
machine isfitted with fuel tanks ,these must notbemore than half full .
10. KCISUREMENTS ANDCALCULATION OPRESULTS ;
10.1 .Iasurement mterval T
. iThe meaf urement interval Tateach microphone location istobespecified
intheseparate Directives .Asaguide ,itmust beatleast 15seconds or,
inthecase ofawork cycle ,equal totheduration ofawhole number .of
work cycles .
10.2 .Determination ofthe equivalent continuous A-weirfited sound r>ressure
Ì22ÌIW 1» ~ "
r .. 2This level isobtained either directly byintegrating p(t)orbysampling
ofthepressure level L^
„ _ . . .. */.%210.2.1 .Byintegrating pit)
L. (T)maybedirectly obtained byintegrating thesquare oftheA–weighted
sound pressure during aperiod equal tothemeasurement interval in
accordance with theformula given inparagraph 3»2.Digital oranalog integration
maybeused ,e.g. with anintegrator sound level meter .
10.2.2 .Byusing theA-weighted sound pressure levels L^
Thesound pressure level L.ismeasured bymeans ofaninstrument defined in
paragraph 5*2ofAnnex I.p
Ifasound level meter isused ,anumber ofreadings aretaken ateach ,
measuring point atasampling rate of1ofthemeasurement interval T.
> A*
Inthis case .L. (T)isobtained from thefollowing formula i
*Aeq
..La(T)-10log1y 100#1pAi
A8<I 10H*-»
i-1

/
where :
IT=T isthenumber ofsamples
kpAi 18 A–weighted Bound pressure level ofthesample i.
Hole ithe tvalue chosen will affect thedegree ofprecision ofthe
result *This value may have to "bedefined intheannexes tothe
separate Directives .
10®3®Measurement cfambiant conditions
The requirements are laid dovrn .inparagraph 7=1°3ofAnnex I«
10o4° Corrections tobemade tomeasurements
1Co4'1 "Ambient conditions (température ,humidi.ty .altitude ,etc »)
Therequirements arelaid down inparagraph 8o6«3 ofAnnex I®
Additional corrections mayhave to "bemade totake account ofthepressure
ofapressurized cab .
10*4"2° Background ncise
locorrection istobemade forbackground noise®
IMPULSI VEÎI0ISS
Thequestion ofwhether and inwhat my iarpTusive noise ought tobe
specially measured atthe operator 8eposition will beconsidered bythe
Committee onAdaptation toTechnical Progress .
12» DATA TOBEREPORTED
Thetest report must contain thedata needed tomeasure noise atoperators 5
positions inaccordance with Section 10ofAnnex 1«
Additional information must begiven onthelayout oftheoperator 'spositio
inparticular thecab ,during themeasurements *
The report must also confirm that theequivalent continuous A-weighted
sound pressure levels L. (T)were obtained strictly according tothis
measurement method and the Bepara"se Directives®
Fota iIfthemeasurements attheoperator 'sposition arecarried out
when thesound pressure level ofthemachine isdetermined ,the
data must berecorded inasingle report®