Volume 4, Number 1, March, 1996 - Noise News International

Editor's ViewIs Noise Part of the Environment?Nearly a decade ago, the Total QualityMovement started to take offencouragedby the publication of theso-called ISO 9000 series of InternationalStandards. The thrust of the ISO9000 series is that it takes a qualityprocess to produce a quality product,and therefore meeting the requirementsof these standards involves an in-depthlook at the responsibilities of and interactionsbetween all persons involved inthe design and manufacture of products.Often, companies, especially smallcompanies, do not have the resources tocomplete these in-depth studies internally.Almost overnight, third-partyconsultants and consultancies have appearedto assist manufacturers and productdesigners and to assess the qualitystandards that must necessarily be appliedby manufacturers of products andproviders of services. This must, ofcourse, be a good thing to happen, andeveryone in the community benefits.We are about to have a new "culture"thrust upon us - in the form of the ISO14000 series of environmental managementstandards. In fact, in Australia andNew Zealand, it has been decided toproduce a set of five interim standardsbased on the ISO Draft InternationalStandards. These interim standards willbe developed ahead of the publicationof the final versions of the ISO documents.The objectives of these new ISOdocuments have some similarities to theISO 9000 series. They deal with environmentalmanagement systems, environmentalauditing, and qualificationcriteria for environmental auditors (anotherinstantnew profession?). The concernis thus with process, and not withproduct. Just as following the ISO 9000series can lead to an excellent processand a poor product, these newstandards may conceivably leadto excellent processes whichmonitor environments that arenot satisfactory for human habitation.Again, the intentions are worthy, butthe overwhelming considerations arewith air and water pollution - withnoise and vibration listed with "other"environmental aspects. As far as havinglong-term cumulative effects on ourworld is concerned, air and water pollutiondo differ from noise and vibration.Nevertheless, the effects of noise andvibration are often immediate, affectmillions of people on a continuing basis,and are becoming better understoodevery day. This issue of Noise/News Internationalcontains, in the Books Department,a description of a book on"Community Noise" to be published bythe World Health Organization. Thebook deals with more than communitynoise; it deals with the effects of noisein a variety of situations in the workplace,at leisure, and in the home. Themore than 750 references in this slimvolume attest to the fact that noise is aserious environmental health problem.The "culture" being thrust upon usthrough the ISO 1400 series of standards,may not be the ideal, but it isimportant that noise be recognized as anenvironmental pollutant that, in manyways, is just as serious as air and waterpollution, and has immediate effects.Those of us concerned with designswhich are optimal from an acousticalviewpoint and with control of environmentalnoise must be vigilant and proactiveto ensure that our concerns are notneglected.- Anita LawrenceAsia-Pacific Editor6 NoiselNews International 1996 March