Noise Measurements in Industrial Areas in North A’ Sharqiyah Region -Oman

Noise pollution has become a serious problem nowadays due to industrial development and Urbanization. Industrial noise in particular is exceeding being an environmental issue to be a health issue for workers. In this study, we investigated the noise levels in industrial areas in Oman, specifically the largest industrial area in North A’ Sharqiyah region. This study has been conducted in Ibra industrial area, in which the area covered for the study is around 3 km2 which includes more than 200 workshops. Twenty-one different zones have been selected within this area to measure the noise levels. The noise levels were measured using the sound level meter (S/N:2019023967) with a measuring range of (30 to 130 dB) and an accuracy of 1.5 dB. The measurements have been conducted in two time intervals and on different days during the week. The primary sources of noise have been identified to be from workshops. The results have been compared to the Omani standards issued by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and it was found that the industrial area had higher levels of noise and it is beyond the Oman standard norms. The average exposure time of high noise has been calculated during working hours to be 3 hours per day.