Worked example · Noise mapping - Worked example: mapping the noise in a press shop
An illustrative walk-through of how a workplace noise map reads — and the decisions it drives.
Impact Acoustics · updated 10 Aug 2026 · 4 min read
The setting
Take a typical metal-fabrication press shop: two power presses near one wall, a welding bay, an assembly area and a packing bench, running a normal single shift. Operators move between stations; a supervisor covers the whole floor.
What a noise map shows
>85 dB(A)
>85 dB(A)
∼85 dB(A)
∼80–84 dB(A)
Illustrative zone diagram only — not a measured map. The dashed-boundary idea on a real noise map marks the 85 dB(A) Hearing Protection Zone line; here, the red and amber tiles stand in for “inside the zone” and the grey/teal tiles for “outside it.” A real map is built from calibrated measurements on your own floor.
The loud zones rise and glow on a real 3D map; quieter areas sit low and cool. Straight away you can see that the two presses and the welding bay push the surrounding area over the 85 dB(A) upper action value — everything inside the zone boundary — while the packing bench sits in the 78–82 dB(A) range.
What it tells you to do
- Mark the Hearing Protection Zone around the presses and welding bay, where the map crosses 85 dB(A) — signage and a defined boundary, not a vague “wear ear defenders somewhere”.
- Control at source first. An acoustic enclosure or screen around the worst press typically removes far more exposure than PPE alone, and shrinks the zone.
- Right-size hearing protection for the people who genuinely need it, aiming for a safe level at the ear rather than over-protecting.
- Re-check after changes. Move a machine or add a line and the map changes — which is exactly what the Care Plan keeps current.
That is the value of mapping over a simple pass/fail: it turns an abstract set of readings into a picture the whole team understands and a plan you can act on. Floor mapping is available as an optional extra to the Care Plan — see floor mapping.
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