Noise monitoring
FGM undertakes noise monitoring by appropriately trained FGM personnel, at designated sites to assess compliance with prescribed noise limits in accordance with FGM’s approved Work Plan and EPA guidelines.
FGM’s routine noise monitoring schedule involves 30-minute attended sessions rotated throughout day, evening and night periods as well as ad-hoc targeted noise monitoring campaigns.
Monitoring results are reviewed to assess:
- noise levels,
- identify mine-related and extraneous noise sources, and
- inform additional noise management measures, if required.
All noise exceedances that are attributable to FGM’s operations are investigated and reported to the regulators (Earth Resources Regulation and Environment Protection Authority Victoria).
FGM’s noise monitoring results are also reported at quarterly Environment Review Committee meetings.
How is noise managed?
FGM adopts a suite of operational and attenuation control measures to minimise noise emissions from its operational and exploration activities. These controls include but are not limited to:
- Positioning of infrastructure and equipment to minimise noise emissions and propagation.
- Operational measures, including constraints on certain activities or the operation of plant to designated times and locations.
- Selection and modifications to plant and equipment (e.g., noise shrouds on engine outlets).
- Installation of noise attenuation controls, including sound barriers (e.g., hay bales), acoustic cladding/enclosures and sound curtains.
- Noise modelling to predict noise levels at receptors and inform noise attenuation requirements in the project planning and design stage.
