Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Noise is an unfortunate by-product of our modern industrial society, with effects ranging from minor annoyance, to major risk of hearing damage, to inability to hear warnings and other signals. This paper presents an extensive observational study of the methodology aimed at predicting the audibility of auditory displays and warnings. While the details of the discussion relate specifically to long-haul truck-cab environments, the procedures are generally applicable to any instance where it is necessary for an individual to hear intentional or incidental sounds. The discussion includes spectral measurements of both the background noise and signals, calculation of masked threshold per ISO 7731:1986(E), and analytical comparison of signal spectra to masked thresholds to determine signal audibility. A specific example calculating the audibility of train horns in the truck cab environment is then presented. Recommendations for improving the audibility of signals in noisy environments are also provided.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Federal Highway Administration. (1994). Qualifications of drivers, Subpart E - physical qualifications and examinations (49 CFR Part 391, pp. 632–649). Washington, D.C.: Office of the Federal Register.

ISO (1986). Danger signals for work places - auditory danger signals, ISO 7731:1986(E). Geneva: International Organization for Standardization.

Lee

S. E.

Robinson

G. S.

Casali

J. G.

(1997). Role of driver hearing in commercial motor vehicle operations: An evaluation of the FHWA hearing requirement. Task analysis. (Audio Lab Number 5/1/97–2-HP, ISE Dept. Report Number 9702), Blacksburg, Virginia: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auditory Systems Laboratory.

Lerner

Ratte

Walker

(June, 1990). Driver behavior at rail-highway crossings (Final Report FHWA-SA-90-008). Washington, D.C.: Federal Highway Administration.

Mortimer

R. G.

(1994). Oh! Say, can you hear that train coming to the crossing? In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 38th Annual Meeting (pp. 898–902). Nashville, TN: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.