Developing a guideline for measuring workplace non-Gaussian noise exposure based on kurtosis adjustment of noise level in China.

Objective: There is no unified standard for measuring workplace non-Gaussian noise (known as complex noise) exposure. This study aimed to develop a draft guideline for measuring workplace non-Gaussian complex noise exposure based on noise temporal structure adjustment.
Methods: Noise exposure level, e.g., the A-weighted sound pressure level normalized to a nominal 8-h working day (L _EX,8h ), was adjusted using the temporal structure (expressed by kurtosis) of noise. Noise waveform analysis or the instrument's direct reading was used.
Results: The framework of the draft guideline included measurement metrics, the protocol using kurtosis to adjust L _EX,8h , technical requirements for measuring instruments, measurement steps, data analysis, and measurement recording.
Conclusion: The draft guideline could provide a basis for accurately measuring workers' exposure to non-Gaussian noise.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Hu, Qiu, Gao, Zeng, Shi, Xin, Bai and Sun.)