Environmental noise, dust and vibration monitoring solutions ensure environmental during the expansion of London’s Aberfeldy Village Project

The next stage of London’s Aberfeldy Village project has been given the go-ahead, but construction projects such as these, albeit for a planned safer, greener and child-friendly neighbourhood, can be a source of pollution adversely affecting the local communities. Eco World, who are the primary developers of this project, contacted First Choice Hire, who provide some of the world’s most cutting-edge environmental monitoring instrumentation, to provide a complete environmental monitoring solution to ensure that the construction work was carried out in compliance with environmental regulations.  The initial phase was carried out near a school as well as numerous homes, so First Choice Hire deployed dust, noise and vibration monitors at important strategic locations so the developers ensure that they were compliant with regulations in case they received a visit from the local environmental health officer as a result of a complaint.

Having started off by carrying out a thorough investigation of the Aberfeldy development site, First Choice Hire worked out the most effective strategy of where to install the monitoring technology, by using aerial views and site plans. First Choice Hire has a well-deserved reputation for providing exceptional levels of technical services; the monitoring system was quickly put into operation and was then observed around the clock so Eco World London could be informed of alarms and alerts immediately. The generated data was downloaded with monthly reports handed in so the local authorities had instant access to key measurement parameters in the event of any problems or complaints.

First Choice Hire has a wide array of monitoring instrumentation available, so they were able to choose the best solution for this particular assignment. They deployed MET One’s ES-642 system for monitoring PM10 dust particulate levels and recording temperature and humidity readings throughout the construction site. The ES-642 remote dust and meteorological system was developed to provide precise measurements of particle concentration in both indoor and outdoor environments; it is housed in a robust and water-proof enclosure and features an LCD that displays particulate concentration, flow rate, instrument status and power data clearly.

The SV 307 Class 1 Noise Monitoring Stations and SV 258 Pro Vibration and Noise Monitoring Station, from Svantek, were also chosen for the project; these devices provided the developers with historical reporting and automated SMS and email notifications. The SV 307 Class 1 noise monitoring station provides accurate and reliable permanent noise monitoring and features a unique, patented double self-system check; this comprises an integral reference sound source that emits 100dB at 1kHz plus a real-time check based on the use of a reference microphone. This compact and lightweight instrument is enclosed in a water-proof housing and combines a class 1 sound level meter with 4G and GPS modems and a patented MEMS microphone. It can be accessed remotely for configuration to suit the specific needs of the end-user.

 The SV 258 Pro vibration and noise monitoring system was chosen for monitoring triaxial velocity and acceleration vibration levels in parallel as well as calculating peak particle velocity (PPV) and vibration dose value simultaneously. This enabled compliance with the British Standards (BS) 7385, 5228 and BS-6472 for PPV. The sophisticated SV 258 also measures dominant frequencies in real-time providing critical data that cannot be achieved using competitor solutions.

The Svantek SV 307 Class 1 Noise Monitoring Stations and SV 258 Pro Vibration and Noise Monitoring Stations were installed in the vicinity of the residential area and school, along with the MET One ES-642 to generate real-time data, historical reporting, with email and SMS notifications sent to Eco World directly, who, along with First Choice Hire could remotely login to a portal to observe the data at will.

Technicians from the  First Choice Hire team visited the site regularly to ensure the equipment was in good condition and to replace or move systems if and when necessary.

Dave Faunch, who was Eco World London’s Site Manager during the first phase of the Aberfeldy Village project commented, “First Choice Hire provided an excellent service during the three years the monitoring equipment was on site. The initial implementation went well and any issues were dealt with efficiently, without fuss. In terms of the equipment, we particularly liked the historical reporting and automated alerts. Overall, the team were very good and helped ensure we fulfilled the local authority’s regulatory requirements while minimizing any disruption to neighbours which is always our priority with any development.”