Effects of building mechanical system noise on worker performance and perception

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 127; no. 3_Supplement; p. 1871
• Main Author: Wang, Lily M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.03.2010
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.3384515

This paper presents results from a number of studies that investigated the effects of noise from building mechanical systems on human task performance and perception. Three phases of research were conducted, each of which utilized a different set of noise signals produced by building mechanical systems: (1) broad-band noise at different levels and spectral qualities, (2) tonal noise conditions, and (3) noise conditions with time-varying fluctuations. In each phase, six different noise signals (many based on in-situ measurements) were reproduced in an office-like setting. Thirty participants completed tasks (e.g., typing, grammatical reasoning, and math) plus subjective questionnaires, while exposed to each noise condition for up to 1 h. In general, no statistically significant differences were found in task performance across the various noise signals tested. However, higher annoyance/distraction responses from the test subjects were often significantly correlated with reduced typing performance. These higher annoyance/distraction responses were also closely correlated to higher subjective ratings of loudness, followed by roar, rumble, and tones or fluctuations. Of particular interest is that a greater perception of low-frequency rumble was significantly linked to reduced performance on both the routine and cognitively demanding tasks. [Work supported by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers.]