Overview
ISO 15664:2001 - "Acoustics - Noise control design procedures for open plant" provides procedural guidance for managing airborne noise from mainly open industrial plants (e.g., refineries, chemical plants, powerplants, cement and steelworks). The standard focuses on noise control during engineering of new plants and modification/extension of existing plants, defines responsibilities of the end-user, engineering contractor, and equipment supplier, and sets out how to derive equipment noise limits from overall plant noise requirements. Construction-phase noise procedures are outside the scope.
Key Topics
- General noise limits (immission requirements): in-plant and environmental noise criteria, handling exceptional or emergency operating conditions and restrictions for tonal/impulsive noise (Clause 5).
- Equipment noise limits (emission requirements): methods to set sound power and sound pressure level limits, equipment noise data sheets, and guidance for equipment selection (Clause 6).
- Silencing and mitigation: procedures for acoustic treatment and specification of silencing equipment (Clause 7).
- Project control and documentation: noise control documentation, engineering phase reports, noise test runs, acceptance testing, and remedial action procedures (Clause 8).
- Roles & responsibilities: definition and allocation of tasks among the end-user, contractor and suppliers; summary action items and responsibilities are presented in Annex B.
- Supporting materials: Annex A (noise control flowchart), Annexes C–I provide templates and examples (equipment data sheets, Noise Allocation/Control/Verification Reports, list of documents for noise engineers).
Keywords integrated: ISO 15664, noise control design, open plant acoustics, equipment noise limits, sound power level, sound pressure level, noise emission, noise immission.
Applications
- Use ISO 15664 when planning or engineering noise control strategies for outdoor industrial plants to:
- Define plant-wide noise objectives (environmental, occupational, community).
- Derive contractual and equipment-level noise limits for procurement.
- Establish documentation and testing processes (commissioning noise tests, acceptance criteria).
- Coordinate responsibilities between owner, engineering contractor and equipment suppliers.
- Typical users: acoustic consultants, plant designers, engineering contractors, environmental & health & safety (EHS) managers, procurement teams, and equipment manufacturers specifying noise performance.
Related Standards
ISO 15664 refers to and complements other acoustics standards for technical measurement and analysis, such as:
- ISO 1996 series (environmental noise),
- ISO 11690-1 (in-plant noise / workplace),
- ISO 12001 and ISO 1999 (equipment emission and in-plant noise guidance),
- ISO 9921-1 (speech communication).
Refer to the Bibliography and Normative References in ISO 15664 for detailed cross-references.
Practical value: ISO 15664 helps translate high-level noise objectives into actionable equipment specifications, project workflows and verification steps-improving compliance, reducing community impact and protecting workers’ hearing.