Occupational and recreational noise exposures at stock car racing circuits: An exploratory survey of three professional race tracks
Noise in stock car racing is accepted as a normal occurrence but the exposure levels associated with the sport have not been adequately characterized. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted an exploratory assessment of noise exposures
to drivers, racing team members, and spectators at three stock car racing events. Sound level measurements were conducted using sound level meters, personal noise dosimeters, and a digital audio tape recorder that made sound recordings for later laboratory analysis. Area sound level measurements
were made during race preparation, practice, qualification, and competition. Personal dosimetry measurements were conducted on drivers, team members, and spectators. Findings showed time-weighted averages (TWA) that ranged from A-weighted 96 decibels;
(dBA) for a spectator in the stands during a race to 114 dBA for a driver inside a car during practice. Peak sound pressure levels exceeded the maximum allowable limit of 140 dB
during race competitions. Personal exposure measurements exceeded the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA in less than a minute for one driver during
practice, within several minutes for team members, and less than one hour for spectators during the race. Hearing protection use was variable and intermittent among team members and spectators. Among drivers and team members, there was greater concern for communication performance than for
hearing protection.
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 January 2010
NCEJ is a peer reviewed Technical journal published every two months. The papers published in NCEJ cover general topics related to noise control engineering, ranging from fundamental research to applied case studies and histories.
- Information for Authors
- Submit a Paper
- Subscribe to this Title
- Membership Information
- INCE Subject Classification
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content