Noise, vibration and dust control

Section 17 Obligation to notify and negotiate
 
The operator or commissioner of the work must provide an advance notification to the residents and care and educational institutions and any other parties that may be affected by the temporary operations that will cause particularly disruptive noise or vibration. The notification must be submitted at least one week before starting the operations that are likely to cause particularly disruptive noise or vibration, or if there is no knowledge of the operations at that time, immediately after the time of the operations is specified. 

In addition, the operator must discuss the reduction of particularly disruptive noise or vibration with people at sites where the operations are likely to cause unreasonable disturbance. Especially vulnerable sites like this include day-care centres, schools and religious institutions. 

 Section 18 Passageway and yard maintenance and cleaning work

Generation of dust caused by mechanical removal of gritting sand or other mechanical maintenance and cleaning work must be prevented by dampening the area worked on, for example.

The use of leaf blowers for the purpose of removing gritting sand is prohibited.

Section 19 Dust suppression on construction sites

Construction and demolition work as well as the handling of construction waste, soil and rocks must be carried out in a manner that minimises nuisance posed by dust in all circumstances. You must always employ sufficiently efficient dust suppression methods in construction and demolition work as well as the handling of construction waste, soil and rocks, when dust may cause a nuisance or damage.

The heavy traffic access routes on construction sites must be kept as dust-free as possible by using a saline solution, for example. The street areas affected by construction sites must also be as free of the soil from the construction site as possible to minimise dust nuisance.

The soil and rocks being transported to and from sites as well as demolition waste must be kept as dust-free as possible, by dampening them, for example. Dusty loads must be dampened or covered when transported outside the construction site.

When renovating the external surfaces of buildings by sand blasting or using a similar method, the external surfaces must be covered to prevent dust, sand blasting waste and other impurities from spreading to the surroundings.

The windows and other openings in the walls of the building being renovated must be sealed so that dust and other harmful substances cannot enter the building. Automated ventilation must be switched off for the duration of the work, if necessary.

When removing paint chemically, sand blasting outer surfaces of buildings and removing sealants containing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) or lead, the surface of the soil must be protected by a leak-proof cover, for example, so that waste cannot enter the soil or the sewer system. When the work is finished, the yard and streets must be cleaned and any waste must be processed in accordance with what has been decreed for the nature of waste.

Emissions from machinery and equipment installed at the work site must be directed sufficiently far away from the air ntakes of the building so that the fumes do not cause a health hazard to those in the building.

Section 20 Temporary excavation work

When open excavation is carried out less than 200 metres away from sites sensitive to dust, or when the transportation route of broken rocks runs near sites sensitive to dust, the drilling equipment must be equipped with suitable dust collection equipment, which must be used at all times when the work is being performed. The dust collection equipment must not be emptied at the blast site or among the broken rocks.
 
Section 21 Obligation to submit a notification of operations that will cause particularly disruptive noise or vibration

The operator must submit a written notification (noise notification) in accordance with section 118 of the Environmental Protection Act to the City of Helsinki’s environmental protection authority at least 30 days prior to the commencement of the operations for the following operations:

1. Crushing of rock or mineral construction waste.
   
   
2. Excavation (drilling, blasting, transport of rock), piling, drilling (with equipment attached to the booms of machinery) and high-efficiency vacuuming, if:
   - the operations are carried out at other times than between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday; or
   - the number of days of excavation exceeds 25.
   
   This does not apply to construction or renovation work related to traffic routes or community development, if the work is carried out from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday to Sunday and the number of work days does not exceed 25, if the performance of the work in the evenings and at weekends is considered necessary due to traffic safety, flow of traffic or some other justifiable reason.
   
   
3. Professional construction, demolition, repair, maintenance or similar temporary work, which causes loud ground-borne noise in flats, day-care centres, schools and other facilities where the noise can cause unreasonable disturbance, if:
   - the operations are carried out at other times than between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday; or
   - the number of days of excavation exceeds 25.
   
   
4. Outdoor concerts or other outdoor events with sound amplification organised between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
   
   
5. Motor sports events or air shows.
   
   
6. Fireworks displays with rockets that exceed 100 mm in diameter or rockets of a similar noise effect fired after 10 p.m. Fireworks fired after midnight can be approved only for highly justified reasons.
   
   As an exception, fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve do not have to be reported.

 Section 22 Particularly disruptive noise or vibration at night time

Operations causing particularly disruptive noise or vibration are prohibited in the vicinity of residential or accommodation premises and care facilities at night time between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

This does not apply to construction or renovation work related to traffic routes or community development, or temporary work that must be performed at night time due to traffic safety, flow of traffic or some other justifiable reason.

This prohibition does not pertain to short-term events or operations, if the number, duration and end times of events organised in the same area during the year and the resulting noise do not constitute an unreasonable nuisance to those affected.

You must issue a notification and hold a discussion on sufficient prevention measures in accordance with section 17 for any night-time operations causing noise and vibration, if the time of the operations is known in advance.

Section 23 Street performances and the use of sound amplification equipment

The continuous outdoor use of sound amplification equipment by shops and restaurants is prohibited in the vicinity of residential or accommodation premises and care facilities at night time between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Continuous use of sound amplification equipment is also prohibited in the daytime near care facilities. In addition, sound amplification equipment directed outwards must always be adjusted so that the noise does not cause inconvenience or nuisance to the neighbourhood.

It is prohibited to use an external power supply for the sound amplification of street performances.

Notification of noise

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06.12.2019 19:35