Research on the Environmental Impact of Industrial Noise Emitted By Mine and Mining Plants

Abstract The article presents the results of measurements of environmental noise accompanying the operation of devices operated in surface facilities of hard coal mines and noise generated in technological processes related to the loading and transport of spoil and materials necessary for production. The research results presented in the article are part of the program of “Consequences of excessive noise in the mining environment of hard coal mines”, the overarching goal of which is to reduce the emission of industrial noise. The research described in the article, carried out using the sampling method, was introduced in order to determine the actual values of noise levels emitted to the external environment from mines and mining plants, as well as to identify the acoustic power levels of devices and processes constituting the main sources of noise in mines. The obtained results showed that mines and mining plants are often not fully aware of the scale of the environmental impact of undesirable noise they emit. Therefore, the current periodic measurements of environmental noise should be replaced with permanent monitoring, which will be beneficial not only for the environment, residents of housing estates located near mines, but also for the mining plants themselves.