How do you plan a production hall where people and loud machines come together without the noise becoming a permanent burden? For exactly this task there is a dedicated guideline that sets out a systematic approach. This article explains the principle step by step.

Designing Low-Noise Workplaces in Line with DIN EN ISO 11690

DIN EN ISO 11690 is the central guideline when it comes to making workplaces with loud machines quieter. It does not describe a single product but a systematic method for reducing noise in the right order and at the most effective point. For industrial companies this is valuable, because unplanned noise control quickly becomes expensive and often remains ineffective. At sta Group we have been planning and manufacturing soundproofing solutions according to exactly this systematic approach since 1986. This article explains what the standard says and how you can use it in practice.

What Is DIN EN ISO 11690?

DIN EN ISO 11690 carries the full title Acoustics, recommended practice for the design of low-noise workplaces containing machinery, and is currently available in the 2021 version. It is aimed at everyone who plans or improves work areas with machines and considers airborne sound exclusively. As an internationally coordinated and European-harmonised standard, it also ensures a uniform approach across national borders. It is important to note that it applies both to existing and to planned workplaces.

The Structure of the Standard in Three Parts

The standard consists of three parts with a clear division of tasks. The first part, often written as DIN EN ISO 11690 1 in search queries, deals with the basic strategies for noise reduction. The second part describes the concrete measures, the third part, as a technical report, the calculation of sound propagation in workrooms.

Who the Standard Is Intended For

It addresses planners, production and operations managers as well as occupational safety specialists. DIN EN ISO 11690 is not a law and therefore not directly binding. It is, however, regarded as the recognised state of the art, which companies and experts rely on. Especially for export-oriented industrial companies, this uniform benchmark is an advantage, because it is understood internationally.

The Noise Reduction Strategy in Line with Part 1

Before DIN EN ISO 11690 recommends individual measures, it requires a systematic approach. At the start there is a description of the actual noise situation, followed by the definition of target and planning values for the individual areas. These values are based on the respective activity, because a control room needs considerably lower levels than a production hall. Only then are the most effective levers selected and repeatedly reviewed over the course of the project. This ordered procedure prevents expensive individual measures without an overall concept.

Sound Source, Transmission Path and Receiver

The heart of the standard is a simple thinking model. Noise can be reduced at three points, at the sound source itself, on the transmission path between the source and the person, and at the receiver at the workplace. The closer the measure is applied to the source, the more effective it usually is.

Existing and Planned Workplaces

A central idea is the early point in time. In the planning phase, quiet machines, short paths and absorbing surfaces can be taken into account without great effort. In ongoing operation, by contrast, noise control is usually more complex and more expensive, but it remains possible at any time. An existing hall can also be retrofitted step by step according to the same scheme, without interrupting operations completely.

Measures at the Sound Source

The first and most effective stage of the chain of action is the sound source itself. Anyone who chooses quiet machines from the outset has to make fewer corrections later. DIN EN ISO 11690 therefore recommends making noise emission a criterion as early as procurement. Even small differences in the emission value add up over the entire service life of a system.

Selecting Low-Noise Machines Using Emission Data

Manufacturers must state the emission sound pressure level and, for loud machines, also the sound power level. These values make machines comparable and allow a deliberate choice. In this way the noise value becomes a genuine decision criterion alongside price and performance. There is also room in the ongoing process, for example through encapsulated drives, gentler material handling or reduced drop heights, which lower the noise at the point where it arises.

The condition of a machine also influences the noise. Worn bearings, loose parts or missing maintenance often increase the level considerably. Regular maintenance is therefore one of the simplest noise control measures of all.

Measures on the Transmission Path

If the noise cannot be reduced far enough at the source, DIN EN ISO 11690 tackles it on the transmission path. This is where most structural solutions lie, and exactly here is the focus of our work. The aim is to intercept the sound on its way to the person.

Encapsulation, Enclosure and Acoustic Screens

A complete machine enclosure surrounds a loud machine and holds the sound back where it arises. Where this is not possible, industrial noise barriers shield individual areas or separate loud from quiet zones. Often the combination of both measures is the most economical. When designing an enclosure, more matters than pure insulation. Ventilation, heat dissipation, accessibility for maintenance and sound-damped openings for material and exhaust air determine whether the solution really works in everyday operation.

Structure-Borne Sound and Vibration Isolation

Not all noise spreads through the air. Vibrations are also transmitted via foundations and steel structures and are radiated again as sound elsewhere. A targeted vibration isolation at the machine’s installation interrupts this path and is frequently underestimated in practice. Elastic mounts, floating foundations or decoupled claddings prevent structure-borne sound from spreading unhindered throughout the entire construction.

Room Acoustics and Measures at the Receiver

The room itself also influences the noise level. In a large hall with hard surfaces, sound is reflected many times and the level rises. DIN EN ISO 11690 therefore considers room acoustics as a separate lever. Unlike at the source, this measure acts throughout the room and benefits all workplaces.

Sound Absorption and Reverberation

Absorbing surfaces on the ceiling and walls swallow part of the sound and shorten the reverberation. As a result, the overall level in the room drops noticeably. Depending on the hall, suspended ceiling absorbers, acoustic baffles or absorbing wall claddings are used. How sound absorption works in detail is explained in our article on the basics of sound absorption.

Soundproof Cabins and Control Stations

Where the source cannot be reduced further, the person is protected directly. Soundproof cabins and control stations create quiet islands in a loud environment, for example for operating and monitoring tasks. Organisational measures such as separating loud processes from areas of permanent presence help in addition.

DIN EN ISO 11690 and Occupational Noise Protection Law

DIN EN ISO 11690 is a standard and not a law, but it is closely connected to occupational safety law. The German Noise and Vibration Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance (LaermVibrationsArbSchV) obliges employers to reduce noise according to the principle of technical before organisational before personal measures. This is precisely the order that the standard maps out methodically. How companies systematically reduce workplace exposure is something we explain in our overview of noise reduction in the industry.

Recognised State of the Art

Anyone who plans a workplace in line with DIN EN ISO 11690 implements the required technical measures in a structured way. This makes it possible to demonstrate to authorities and accident insurance institutions that noise control has been approached professionally. The standard thus provides the method for fulfilling the legal obligation.

Both levels complement each other. The law names the goal and the order of priority, the standard shows the professionally recognised path to it. In the risk assessment it can thus be documented in a comprehensible way why which measure was chosen.

Planning Low-Noise Workplaces with sta

In practice we translate the systematic approach of DIN EN ISO 11690 into concrete projects. At the start there is always the analysis with an on-site sound measurement, from which we derive at which point of the chain of action the greatest reserves lie.

From Analysis to Implementation

On the basis of the measurement we design the suitable solution and manufacture it in our own production, with elements up to 6 metres in length and captured to the millimetre via a 3D scanner. Our own fitters then take over the installation. This creates seamless soundproofing from a single source. For a loud shredding process, for example, we combine the enclosure of the machine with absorbing ceiling surfaces and a sound-damped control station, so that several stages of the chain of action work together.

We have been bringing this experience into every project since 1986 and were honoured in 2024 as one of the TOP 100 most innovative medium-sized companies in Germany. A full-service soundproofing approach with measurement is always the first step.

Conclusion

DIN EN ISO 11690 gives companies a clear method for systematically reducing noise at workplaces. It ranks the measures by their effectiveness from the source via the transmission path to the receiver and thus combines technology, room acoustics and organisation. Anyone who plans according to it early protects the health of employees and at the same time lowers costs. The right order pays off twice, because measures at the source often make expensive corrections at the receiver superfluous. Get in touch with us if you would like to make your hall or individual systems quieter.

Frequently Asked Questions about DIN EN ISO 11690

What does DIN EN ISO 11690 regulate?

DIN EN ISO 11690 provides recommendations for the design of low-noise workplaces with machinery. It describes strategies and concrete measures to reduce noise at the source, on the transmission path and at the receiver.

Is DIN EN ISO 11690 mandatory?

The standard is not a law and therefore not directly binding. It is, however, regarded as the recognised state of the art and helps to fulfil the requirements of occupational noise protection law in a structured way.

What do Part 1 and Part 2 contain?

Part 1 deals with the noise reduction strategies and the basic approach. Part 2 describes the concrete noise reduction measures such as encapsulation, acoustic screens, vibration isolation and sound absorption.