I test sound insulation on building sites. This involves making a really loud noise on one side of a wall, and then on the other side of the wall we use a microphone to measure the difference between the two levels. This shows us how much sound is travelling through a particular wall.
Baden Fitzmaurice
Acoustics Technician
Baden's job title is Acoustics Technician at noise.co.uk
What I do
Building regulations demand that the noise pollution in and around a building is at a manageable level, which is why it needs to be checked.
I work mainly on new-build housing at the moment but can work on any kind of building.
Hear more about Baden’s role by watching the video below...
How I became a technician
A typical day
in my working life
Most mornings I am usually driving somewhere to conduct testing on-site and then I’ll be testing noise levels in the afternoon. We don’t do a set number of tests per day, it just depends on the type of job.
A surprising fact I have learnt from my job
I’ve been doing some research into the effects of noise on sleep disturbance. There is no maximum sound level where everyone would wake up – every person is different. You need to understand the psychology of it and also the biology of the sleep process. It is very interesting. If you are sleep disturbed, you are more easily annoyed and less productive. It is linked to anxiety, depression and heart disease. The less noise you are exposed to, the more likely you are to have a good night’s sleep.
The next steps in my career journey
The natural progression would be to move to a consultancy position, which would look more at what the data means and how to interpret it, rather than being out in the field gathering it.
