Silencing Noisy Equipment on Offshore Rigs

James Ochoa
October 13, 2015

The men and women who work on offshore rigs are exposed to many environmental factors that can have an adverse effect on their work performance as well as their overall psychological well-being. That is why silencing noisy equipment on offshore rigs is important to the overall health and well being of these workers.

THE PROBLEM WITH NOISE ON MODUS

Unfortunately, we have experienced first-hand what excessive noise can do to one’s hearing. Uncontrolled noise can be detrimental to workers’ health, and in some cases, it can even cause permanent, irreversible hearing damage.

Different regulatory bodies have set forth criteria for noise and other environmental factors to keep personnel working safely and efficiently. As ABS states in their Guide for Crew Habitability on Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs), “These habitability criteria have been chosen to provide a means to help reduce personnel fatigue, improve performance and safety, and to assist with personnel recruiting and retention.”

Meeting the noise criteria is not just a good idea for worker safety, it’s a good idea for their overall well-being.

WHO SETS THE STANDARDS?

Different regulatory bodies have set standards for noise. The standards are based on how much exposure people can safely have to loud noises. For example, some spaces require earplugs only, other spaces require ear plugs, ear muffs, and limited exposure times. Here are some resources to get familiar with the industry standards:

HOW DO I MEET ACCEPTABLE NOISE CRITERIA?

You will want to obtain a third-party certificate from one of the above-mentioned regulatory bodies that says your MODU is in line with noise regulations.

In order to do this, you will need to develop a Test Plan to take noise measurements in various areas throughout the MODU. The testing will need to be conducted by another third-party organization—someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in your MODU or the regulatory body from whom you are seeking certification.

HELPFUL TIP

It’s always best to design a quiet rig from the start than to try and quiet down a noisy rig. If possible, consult with a cognizant engineer familiar with noise abatement on offshore drilling rigs. Then from those consultations, include specifications for noise abatement in your documentation and drawings before the rig is built. If your rig has already been built, calling in a specialist to retrofit silencers into noisy areas will help you achieve your goals.

WHAT HAPPENS IF MY LEVELS EXCEED THE CRITERIA?

Let’s face it—the equipment on offshore rigs is powerful and it’s loud. Generally, utilizing silencers and silencing material can help alleviate existing noise problems.

If you have an acoustics expert on your team, they will be able to make suggestions as to which type of silencer will work best, whether that’s absorptive silencers, reactive silencers, acoustical enclosures, or other sound dampening products. If you don’t have a specialized member on your team, it’s imperative to work with an expert in the area as you want to avoid purchasing and installing the wrong equipment.

We’ve seen cases where someone wanted to save some money by installing a smaller-than-necessary silencer than we had recommended. In one particular instance, unsurprisingly, the silencer did not adequately quiet down the noise source, and the customer had to spend even more money just to buy the the silencer we recommended in the first place! It was a costly and unnecessary mistake.

SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE—LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY!

Whether you hire an in-house acoustician for your project or you hire a specialist in noise abatement, having a specialist on hand will ensure you can meet the criteria required. In our experience, it’s always easiest for management to hire a specialist who can take care of all the details from conducting the tests to retrofitting the equipment so they can focus on the rest of the day-to-day operations.

Eldridge has worked with numerous rigs over the past decades to quiet down noisy equipment. We know that fans can be a large contributor to noise inside machinery spaces and on deck and we are readily equipped tackle these types of noise problems. We aren’t limited to ventilation though—we have experience silencing many other noisy equipment areas throughout the rig through sound enclosures and other types of silencing equipment.

Do you have some questions about silencing noisy equipment on offshore rigs rigs? Post them in the comments! Or, if you prefer, submit a contact form and we’ll continue our conversation over email. You can always call us toll-free at 1-844-780-7200.