ABSTRACT
Conflict between mobile equipment and pedestrian workers constitutes a major hazard in open cast mining and quarrying, as well as in construction yards, whenever it is difficult to establish separate working areas. High noise levels and the use of personal hearing protectors could impair the effectiveness of auditory warnings, which are activated when vehicles are reversed, increasing the risk of impact with pedestrian workers. The paper is concerned with the acoustical mapping of a working environment characterised by the presence of stationary and mobile noise sources. A numerical method, aimed at defining restricted working areas (meant to be used by machinery or pedestrian workers alone) in noisy environments, has been implemented using the signal design window technique. The method is illustrated for open quarrying operations.
