Environmental Sound & Vibration

What is the course?
The Diploma course is a year long, part time course which provides high level training in real-world practical acoustics, covering a range of core topics. The Diploma is widely recognised as the leading specialist qualification for the professional practitioner in acoustics.
Satisfactory completion of the Diploma enables candidates to gain Associate membership of the Institute of Acoustics (AMIOA), which can be upgraded to full membership (MIOA) after 3 years in relevant employment.

Course objectives
On successful completion of the course, the delegate should be able to:
• Describe, quantify, predict, measure and analyse sound and vibration signals in a variety of situations.
• Describe the physiological and subjective responses of humans exposed to noise and vibration, quantify the exposure and assess the response.
• Select and use appropriate legislation, statutory regulations, standards and codes of practice relating to the assessment and control of noise and vibration.
• Understand and demonstrate the correct usage of a range of sound and vibration measuring equipment.
• Undertake independent acoustic investigations, managing time and resources and communicating results effectively using written and oral formats.

Who is it suitable for?
The IOA Diploma is designed for anyone who has graduated in a discipline other than acoustics who wish to gain employment as an acoustician, or wants to progress from a acoustic technician level to a consultant/engineer position.
It is also suitable for those who need a high level of understanding of acoustics in their role such as environmental health officers, planning and licensing officers, environmental consultants and theatre consultants.

Delivery
The course is delivered in person over 1-week segments over the academic year.

Dates:
Southampton: Start date Sep 2024 End date: Oct 2025
Manchester: Start date Oct 2024 End date: Oct 2025

What is the course?
This five-day course seeks to provide delegates with a basic knowledge of the methodology of environmental noise measurement, including the use and accuracy requirements of sound level meters and analysers and to enable them to be aware of the significance of measurement data against the framework of standards and legislation for environmental noise.

Course objectives
On completion of this course, delegates should be able to:
• Explain key concepts in environmental noise, and understand the role of standards, legislation and guidance documents.
• Perform basic noise calculations involving noise indices appropriate for environmental noise
• Make reliable measurements of background noise and noise from a variety of sources, according to the requirements of the relevant standards or guidance
• Present and interpret measurement data in a form suitable for inclusion in a report
• Describe measurement methodologies used and the data acquired and appreciate the measurement information required for reports and environmental appraisals.

Who is it suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone who is responsible for undertaking environmental noise measurements or for setting or assessing noise requirements for licensing and planning purposes. This includes acoustic technicians, early career acousticians, environmental consultants, environmental health officers, planning and licensing officers.

Delivery
The course is delivered in a classroom format.

Dates
2-courses running:
May 2024 & Oct 2024

What is the course?
Technical reports are an important aspect of every Organisation. A report represents the final product of a project, and a poorly written report can undermine the extensive work that has previously been completed, obscure important findings and potentially alienate stakeholders.
Examples of poor reports include those which are poorly structured, those that contain too much or too little information, those peppered with grammatical errors and inconsistencies, and those that don’t clearly highlight the key outcomes.
The aim of this course is to provide guidance on elements of good practice related to acoustic report writing and communication. The Course will review the various Report structures available and provide a detailed overview of what the relevant sections would normally contain. It will also consider the importance of presentation skills.

Course objectives
On successful completion of the course a candidate should be able to:
• Plan the preparation of a report, including determination of its scope and purpose.
• Structure a report that represents good practice, with a clear and appropriate assessment method, appropriately presented data and which is tailored to the audience.
• Identify and, if necessary, justify any deviations from any recommended measurement, calculation and/or assessment procedures.
• Explain how uncertainty and measurement errors have been considered, and their possible impact on the overall outcome.
• Highlight and present the key outcomes and recommendations arising from the project.

Who is it suitable for?
The course is intended to be appropriate to a wide audience, but should be useful particularly for early career employees, in Acoustics or Engineering Consultancies, Pollution/Environmental Health Offices or Planning and Development offices.

Dates
TBC

What is the course?
Report writing is an important aspect of every Organisation. It represents the final product of any project and a poorly written Report can undermine the work that has previously been undertaken. Over and above the preparation of a report, the person responsible for reviewing and authorising a report and the recipient who needs to evaluate the information need an additional skillset to both interpret the information and identify where information may be incorrectly presented, vague or missing, as well as being able to assess the quality of presentation.
This course aims to provide delegates with the skill set required to critique and evaluate acoustic technical reports. A detailed review of the various report structures available will reveal the expected content of each of the relevant sections and the critiquing skills developed on the Course will focus on the aspects of a report that needs to be reviewed during scrutiny.

Who is it suitable for?
While the course is appropriate to a wide audience it is aimed primarily at those in senior positions in Acoustics and Engineering Consultancies, Pollution/Environmental Health and Planning and Development offices, who will be required to review and authorise reports written by others.

Course Objectives
On successful completion of the course a candidate should be able to:
• Evaluate the scope, structure and content of a technical report and judge whether it is appropriate for the intended audience and purpose;
• Evaluate the extent to which relevant materials, including guidance documents and standards, have been correctly utilised in the preparation of the report;
• Evaluate whether data have been presented in the most appropriate format;
• Evaluate whether deviations from prescribed measurement and calculation procedures and their implications have been adequately explained and whether uncertainty has been adequately considered in the report;
• Assess the extent to which the assessment correctly reflects the results;
• Appreciate and discuss the importance of a clearly structured Report.

Dates
TBC

What is the course?
Any music festival or event which plans to have an audience of more than 500 people is required to apply for a license from the local licensing authority. A part of this license requires a noise plan, including noise measurement by a competent person and plans for mitigating disturbance. This 2 day course introduces delegates to the licensing requirements and the core measurements, as well as outlining best practice in preparing the noise plan and consideration of possible impacts on nearby premises.

Course objectives
On completion of this course, delegates will be able to:
• Understand the key elements of licensing requirements, legislation and standards applicable to noise from outdoor entertainment and music events.
• Understand the role of the noise monitoring organisation.
• Create a noise management plan for a small to medium sized event.
• Appropriately setup, calibrate and use measurement equipment to undertake measurements and reporting at an outdoor music or entertainment event.

Who is it suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone involved in the planning and management of outdoor music or entertainment events, and also those who may be involved in noise monitoring for these events under the supervision of a competent assessor.

Delivery
This one day course can be delivered on request, and may be delivered online, at our offices or in-person at your premises.

Dates:
On request

What is the course?
Construction is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions through the materials and energy used. It also uses a significant quantity of depletable materials (e.g. mined products, oil etc) and materials which generate pollution (e.g. VOCs)
There is a global need to reduce or eliminate the use of materials and processes which contribute to carbon emissions, and eliminate use of depletable and polluting materials, and this applied to acoustic design as much as to any other sector of the construction industry.
This half-day course examines the principle of sustainability in acoustic design and how acoustic design can contribute to carbon neutrality, including exploring the current materials used in building acoustics and sound insulation and sustainable alternatives.

Course objectives
On completion of this course the delegate should be able to:
• Understand the principles of sustainable design including embodied carbon, whole life carbon and carbon neutrality
• Understand the sustainability issues with existing acoustic products
• Understand the available alternatives, their relative performance and the benefits and negatives compared to traditional materials.

Who is it suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone who is involved in commissioning, designing or constructing buildings and who needs to understand more about making the acoustic elements of design sustainable. This includes acousticians, architects, architectural technologists, surveyors, estates managers, construction managers, building control officers and sustainability officers.

Delivery
This half-day course can be delivered on request, and may be delivered online, at our offices or in-person at your premises.

Dates:
On request

What is the course?
Construction and demolition projects are required to manage their impact on the environment, including the noise impact which activities may have on the surrounding areas. This 4 to 5-day course gives delegates a comprehensive overview of the causes of noise in construction and demolition, the methods of assessing and predicting impact from these activities as well as mitigating noise impact on the local area. It covers the relevant regulatory instruments, the planning process and the structure of Section 61 applications for works which are likely to have a significant impact on the neighbourhood due to noise and vibration.
The course includes 4 days of tuition with an optional 5th day for assessment, via a case study, simple Section 61 application from the candidate.

Course objectives
On completion of this course the delegate should be able to:
• Understand the principles of Human response to noise and vibration
• Understand Common construction noise and vibration sources and how these can be predicted, monitored and measured.
• Understand the concept of potential adverse impacts and nuisance and threshold levels for noise and vibration
• Understand core requirements and application of appropriate regulatory instruments such as the Control of Pollution Act, Environmental Protection Act, and role of Section 61 applications,
• Understand Planning conditions, consent and variation notices and Abatement notices

Who is it suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone involved in commissioning, managing or monitoring construction sites, as well as for those involved in the planning and licensing process. This includes junior acoustic Consultants, acoustic technicians, junior environmental noise consultants, construction site environmental coordinators or managers, construction site agents and consent managers.

Delivery
This 5 day course may be delivered at our offices or in-person at your premises.

Dates:
On request

What is the course?
This five-day course seeks to inform candidates about the effects of environmental vibration from roads, railways and construction sites on people, buildings, and sensitive equipment. It covers basic knowledge of the methodology of environmental vibration measurement including correct selection of vibration transducer and analyser and mounting and positioning of transducers and the role of measurement data within the framework of standards and legislation for environmental vibration.

Course objectives
After completing the course delegates should be able to understand basic vibration principles, make reliable vibration measurements according to the requirements of relevant British Standard or guidance, post process vibration measurement results and perform basic calculations on the data and present and interpret vibration measurement data in a form suitable for inclusion in a report and describe the measurement methodologies used.

Who is it suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone who is responsible for undertaking environmental noise measurements or for setting or assessing noise requirements for licensing and planning purposes. This includes acoustic technicians, early career acousticians, environmental consultants, environmental health officers, planning and licensing officers.

Delivery
The course can be delivered hybrid over five days, with the possibility of attending online or in person for the first two days and in-person on the last three.

Dates:
On request

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to the fundamentals of Environmental Noise.

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• What is meant by environmental noise
• Why is environmental noise important
• What are you measuring (LAeq), for how long and why?
• Noise and the planning system
• Noise Action Plans

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to Soundscapes and soundscape design

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• What is concept of soundscape?
• Audience | Environment | Sound Event
• Principles of Soundscape analysis
• Possibilities for design and management of sound
• Current situation and future challenges in soundscape

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to construction noise management

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• Why is noise a problem in construction work?
• Laws on construction noise risk assessments
• Noise pollution for the workforce and surrounding environment
• Controlling construction noise and reducing noise pollution
• Factoring noise in a construction management plan

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to sustainability in acoustic design

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• Principle basics of sustainable design
• Embodied carbon, whole life carbon and carbon neutrality
• LEED | WELL | Fitwel

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to noise and planning regulations

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• When is noise relevant to planning?
• UK noise regulations
• Permitted noise levels
• How can noise impacts be determined?
• Monitoring and managing alerts

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.

What is the course?
This 2-hour high impact session is designed to give participants a high-level introduction to music and entertainment noise

Participants will develop an understanding of:
• What is the legal noise limit for music?
• What does LAeq mean?
• Understanding and developing noise control strategies
• How can noise impacts be determined?
• Permits, planning and Local Authorities

This course is available in face to face or live online delivery formats.
For face to face delivery we can run courses at your offices, a chosen venue or at our Southampton branch.