On-Site Acoustic Testing – Page 3 – Building acoustics, environmental and facility noise, vibration, air quality, and OSHA compliance testing for military, commercial, and residential clients.

Light Quality Testing

Great lighting makes any room look better…that’s something that you probably would expect to hear from an interior decorator, but the truth is that proper lighting is essential for any and every workplace, restaurant, or retail establishment.

On-Site Acoustic Testing can provide lighting surveys (in LUX or Footcandles) to determine whether your lighting is suitable for the area and purpose.

We also provide ultraviolet light (UVA, UVB, and UVC) testing (commonly found in printing and other production environments).

The following table illustrates acceptable minimum levels of lighting (in LUX) in different areas:

Recommended Lux Levels by Area

Area	Nominal Illumination Level in Lumens/Square Meter (lux)
Office Space
Normal work station space, open or closed offices¹	500
ADP Areas	500
Conference Rooms	300
Training Rooms	500
Internal Corridors	200
Auditoria	150-200
Public Areas
Entrance Lobbies, Atria	200
Elevator Lobbies, Public Corridors	200
Ped. Tunnels and Bridges	200
Stairwells	200
Support Spaces
Toilets	200
Staff Locker Rooms	200
Storage Rooms, Janitors’ Closets	200
Electrical Rooms, Generator Rooms	200
Mechanical Rooms	200
Communications Rooms	200
Maintenance Shops	200
Loading Docks	200
Trash Rooms	200
Specialty Areas
Dining Areas	150-200
Kitchens	500
Outleased Space	500
Physical Fitness Space	500
Child Care Centers	500
Structured Parking, General Space	50
Structured Parking, Intersections	100
Structured Parking, Entrances	500

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Conflicts of Interest – Consultants that ALSO sell materials and installation services

Almost every week, we hear from prospective clients who are looking for a second opinion of a report (and accompanying bill of materials and installation) they they have received from an acoustical, vibrational, or air quality testing firm or consultant.

Often they are both perplexed and upset by the financial burden that adherence to the report/materials list will cause.

In our opinion, consultants and testing agencies should NEVER be in the business of selling (and/or installing) materials for the following reasons:

1. Consultants should never be in a position where recommending materials adds to the bill. Recommendations for remediation should be based upon facts, rather than added profit.

2. Consultants should always be free to represent the best solution, not the one that is sold or distributed by the consultant.

3. Consultants who have a stake in the effectiveness for materials sold into a project have a conflict of interest between unbiased results and proving that their solutions worked.

4. Consultants (testing firms, and worse yet, material distributors) who sell materials have been known to conduct testing as an afterthought (with substandard tools and methods)

On-Site Acoustic Testing does not sell any products, materials or installation services, nor do we take payment of any kind from materials or vendors that we may recommend as part of our project recommendations.

Period.

If you would like a second (or first) opinion regarding your project you can contact us using the convenient form below:

Or call us at 1-800-665-0080 to speak with one of our professionals.

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Noise Control Consultants

We provide noise and sound mitigation consulting services.

Our experienced technicians (in conjunction with consulting professional engineers, architects, and other consultants) can work with your organization to provide relief for many common issues such as:

Open floorplan noise in call centers
Noise from power generation facilities including turbine, solar, wind, and water
Unwanted sound transmission in medical and dental offices
Noise and vibration emanating from Crossfit, Orangetheory and other gym and workout facilities
HVAC and other building equipment whether on the ground or roof-mounted
Unpleasant room acoustics in restaurants, nightclubs, and auditoriums
Machine noise in factories, distribution centers, and retail establishments
Noise from playgrounds and recreational areas

Contact us today at pr*****@os*****.com (or call us toll-free at 800-665-0080) to find out how we can provide the solutions for your noise and sound issues.

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Noise and Sound Mitigation Consulting

While we are well known for providing noise, vibration, air-quality, and other environmental testing, you may not realize that we also provide noise and sound mitigation consulting services. Our experienced technicians (in conjunction with consulting professional engineers and other consultants) can work with your organization to provide relief for many common issues such as:

Open floorplan noise in call centers
Construction noise testing and mitigation
Unwanted sound transmission in medical and dental offices
Noise and vibration emanating from Crossfit and other gym and workout facilities
HVAC and other building equipment whether on the ground or roof-mounted
Unpleasant room acoustics in restaurants, nightclubs, and auditoriums
Machine noise in factories, distribution centers, and retail establishments
Noise from playgrounds and recreational areas

Contact us today at pr*****@os*****.com (or call us toll-free at 800-665-0080) to find out how we can provide the solutions for your noise and sound issues.

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HIPAA and your practice….

As you probably already know, T\the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted by the United States Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996.

Title II of HIPAA, known as the Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions, requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

What does this mean for your practice?

Whether you are a medical doctor, dentist, mental health professional, or other health care provider it means that you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your patient’s records.

You’ve probably already paid close attention to your record keeping, billing, and client contact protocol, but have you given thought to maintaining the privacy of your clients while they are in your office?

Many office suites were designed and built prior to the implementation of the HIPAA Act and even offices constructed long after the start of the HIPAA Act may not have been constructed in a way that ensures the privacy of your patients.

Sound transmission between examination rooms is a common issue in many offices. It’s simply unacceptable for one patient to be able to overhear the private conversation between you and your staff with another patient.

We can provide testing to determine the Sound Transmission Class (STC) and the Speech Intelligibility Index (STI) of the examination rooms, private offices, and other areas of your facility to determine whether unwanted sound transmission between spaces is present.

Should testing disclose a problem, or if you’re already aware that your office has a problem, we can assist you in determining the correct materials that will be necessary to fix the problem.

HIPAA and your practice…. Read More »

Logistics Center Testing

Let’s face it, loading docks are hot, noisy, and subject to carbon monoxide emissions from even the cleanest running rigs.

While most packaged products are (mostly) insensitive to noise, light, and air quality issues, the same cannot be said for the people working on the loading docks.

That’s where On-Site Acoustic Testing comes in. We can provide the testing that you need to make sure that your employees are safe.

Whether you are in need of noise level testing, air quality testing, or light quality (or level) testing, we can get you the information you need to ensure OSHA compliance.

Or call us (toll-free) at 1-800-665-0080

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Distribution Center Testing

The amount of packages moving across the United States each and every day is truly staggering. If you’ve ever been in a large scale distribution center (such as the distribution centers for FEDEX Ground – we’ve tested many of their facilites) you’ll quickly realize that no matter how much automation has taken the place of humans, there are still many women and men working along side of the machines.

While machines are (mostly) insensitive to noise, light, and air quality issues, the same cannot be said for the people working inside the facility.

That’s where On-Site Acoustic Testing comes in. We can provide the testing that you need to make sure that your employees are safe.

Whether you are in need of noise level testing, air quality testing, or light quality (or level) testing, we can get you the information you need to ensure OSHA compliance.

Or call us (toll-free) at 1-800-665-0080

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FSTC (Field Sound Transmission Class) is now ASTC (Apparent Sound Transmission Class)! ASTM E336 – 19

Recently the name of the field sound transmission class rating system which was known as FSTC has been changed to apparent sound transmission class (ASTC).

What does this mean, to you, the end user?

The simple answer is: not very much!

The test is still conducted using the same basic methodology, meaning that the equipment and testing process is largely the same.

So be aware that test results that used to say FSTC now say ASTC.

ASTM E336 – 19

Standard Test Method for Measurement of Airborne Sound Attenuation between Rooms in Buildings

FSTC (Field Sound Transmission Class) is now ASTC (Apparent Sound Transmission Class)! ASTM E336 – 19 Read More »

FIIC (Field Insulation Impact Class) is now AIIC (Apparent Impact Insulation Class)! ASTM E1007 – 19

Recently the name of the field insulation impact class rating system which was known as FIIC has been changed to apparent impact insulation class.

What does this mean, to you, the end user?

The simple answer is: not very much!

The test is still conducted using the same basic methodology, meaning that the equipment and testing process is largely the same.

So be aware that test results that used to say FIIC now say AIIC.

ASTM E1007 – 19

Standard Test Method for Field Measurement of Tapping Machine Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies and Associated Support Structures

FIIC (Field Insulation Impact Class) is now AIIC (Apparent Impact Insulation Class)! ASTM E1007 – 19 Read More »

ASTM Tests that On-Site Acoustic Testing Performs

E90 Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Airborne Sound Transmission Loss of Building Partitions and Elements
E413 Classification for Rating Sound Insulation
E492 Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies Using the Tapping Machine
C634 Standard Terminology Relating to Building and Environmental Acoustics
E966 Standard Guide for Field Measurements of Airborne Sound Insulation of Building Facades and Facade Elements
E989 Standard Classification for Determination of Impact Insulation Class (IIC)
E1007 Standard Test Method for Field Measurement of Tapping Machine Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies and Associated Support Structures
E1110 Standard Classification for Determination of Articulation Class
E1111 Standard Test Method for Measuring the Interzone Attenuation of Open Office Components
E1179 Standard Specification for Sound Sources Used for Testing Open Office Components and Systems
E1264 Standard Classification for Acoustical Ceiling Products
E1374 Standard Guide for Open Office Acoustics and Applicable ASTM Standards
E1425 Standard Practice for Determining the Acoustical Performance of Exterior Windows and Doors
E1433 Standard Guide for Selection of Standards on Environmental Acoustics
E1573 Standard Test Method for Evaluating Masking Sound in Open Offices Using A-Weighted and One-Third Octave Band Sound Pressure Levels
E1574 Standard Test Method for Measurement of Sound in Residential Spaces
E2179 Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of the Effectiveness of Floor Coverings in Reducing Impact Sound Transmission Through Concrete Floors
E1662 Standard Classification of Office Serviceability – Privacy and Speech Intelligibility, Distraction and Disturbance

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