SEDL / STP / STP692-EB / STP35968S

The Cost of Uncertainty in Acoustic Measurements

Eldred, KM
Principal consultant and senior economist, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

Kane, JA
Principal consultant and senior economist, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

Pages: 11    Published: Jan 1979

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Abstract

The cost of uncertainty in noise measurements is reviewed in order to address real tangible costs borne both by firms that have to quiet plant equipment to noise levels below the regulations, and by individuals who are exposed to noise levels above the regulations. The potential annual costs of uncertainties in just one case study—potential product noise regulations—are shown to be of the order of 300 to 500 million dollars, on a present value basis over a ten year period, although substantial uncertainty in these estimates is probable. The economic implications of noise measurement uncertainty are related to the purposes of noise measurement standards, and the significance of measurement uncertainty for the use and consequences of standards in noise regulations is discussed.