Construction noise a balancing act with Level 3 safety

Construction companies have the flexibility under current noise rules to introduce split shifts on their work sites, Christchurch City Council says.

Many construction projects restarted last week under Alert Level 3 but companies must comply with physical distancing requirements meaning fewer workers are allowed on site at one time.

Auckland Council has relaxed its construction noise regulations to allow companies the flexibility to spread out workers’ start times throughout the day and operate longer hours if necessary.

But Council Strategic Compliance Manager Shane Bruyns says there is no need to change the rules here. “We are really keen to support our local building firms to get back to work. Christchurch City Council follows the New Zealand Standard Construction Noise which provides quite a bit of scope for work on sites, and is similar to what Auckland has put in place. It allows for the noisier construction activities to take place between 7.30am and 8pm on week days and 7.30am and 6pm on Saturdays unless there are already specific consent conditions for the site restricting operating hours.”

The standard does not say that staff cannot be on site outside of those hours, only that they can’t make as much noise.

Mr Bruyns suggests construction companies carry out quieter activities, such as painting and dry wall fixing, later in the day and avoid using noisy equipment, such as power tools, early in the morning and late at night.

“The message we want to give to construction companies is, we’re keen to help out with advice on the rules around noise and we have Council staff available who can discuss with you the best way to carry out your work without disturbing other people. This will continue to be the case when we move to Alert Level 2.”

He says that neighbours can be upset by construction noise at night and, at present, during the day while many are working from home.

“It’s important that construction companies talk with their neighbours, let them know what hours their site will be working and who they can contact on site if the noise is too much. That will reduce frustration on both sides.”

The Council’s noise control team will be operating, and all sites will need to manage noise to ensure it isn’t excessive. An Excessive Noise Direction can be issued that requires the site to remain quiet for 72 hours.