## 1 Introduction  
The assessment of the impact of vibrations generated in the subsoil, and their transfer to building structures is an important problem of civil engineering. This issue is currently the subject of frequent studies and analyses concerning mainly urban areas. One of the main reasons for this assessment are excessive vibration levels (in the opinion of residents and users of various types of construction) caused by the movement of vehicles on roads [1; 2; 3], as well as on railways [4]. Articles regarding vibrations that are caused by the work of construction machines are also an important collection of materials on this matter. Vibrations of particularly high intensity are induced when driving foundation piles [5; 6], which very often makes the use of this technology unacceptable in close vicinity to buildings. Significant values of acceleration or vibration velocities are also generated during driving and pulling out of sheet pilings [7; 8]. The influence of vibrations spreading in the environment can be very important, which is why methods for their reduction are sought out so often [9; 10; 11; 12].  
A specific group of construction equipment causing vibrations in the subsoil are machines and devices that are used for compaction of the ground. They are used almost always on every construction site--regardless of whether the investment is related to the construction and modernization of buildings, communication infrastructure facilities, water supply, sewage, gas, or electrical and telecommunications networks. In construction practice, vibrations caused by soil compaction occur much more frequently than with other sources of vibrations. In the literature on the subject, the situation is the opposite. Work on the assessment of the impact of vibrations on the environment caused by the work of machines during soil compaction seems to be scarce. This is most probably connected with the fact that the level of vibrations generated in this case is generally considered to be insignificant. As a rule, it is much smaller than the level of vibrations that are generated and propagated in the ground during driving piles or sheet pilings. Available studies mainly concern vibrations that are generated during the operation of vibration rollers [13], and much less often, vibrating plate compactors [14]. In the literature on the subject, however, there is a lack of reliable research and scientific articles on the work of hydraulic compactors integrated with excavators and the impact of vibrations generated by them on the surroundings. The few works dealing with the subject of vibrations generated by the work of hydraulic compactors were related to the effectiveness of soil compaction in trenches in which pipes are installed, and the risk assessment related to their damages [15]. Such compactors are characterized by much higher values of load amplitudes than vibrating plate compactors. Rather frequently, however, they are used in a very close, sometimes several-meter distance from the building. There are situations when compaction of the soil takes place next to the walls or foundations of the building, which in the case of this type of equipment, may turn out to be significant in terms of the possible impact of generated vibrations on the technical condition of the building and its users.  
This work comprises an analysis of the results of field tests of ground surface vibrations caused by the work of a new generation, tri-band V8 hydraulic compactor by Maschinentechnik Schrode AG (MTS), and comparative vibration generated by the work of a standard plate compactor. The article describes the impact of ground-borne vibrations that are generated by the operation of both types of compactors and their impact on the environment--in particular, the assessment of the impact of recorded vibrations on a residential building in the immediate vicinity of the source of vibrations.