“Noise at Work” system for BBC wins acoustics industry award for innovation

Stantec’s acoustics team was honored with the 2025 Acoustics Award for an innovative “Noise at Work” risk management system developed for the BBC. The award was presented at the annual event hosted by the Association of Noise Consultants. 

​The bespoke system protects performers from harmful levels of noise in BBC’s symphony orchestra and choirs. Professional musicians and singers can be at high risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss, which makes acoustic monitoring and mitigation important.

​Traditionally, assessing noise in workplaces requires employees to wear shoulder-mounted monitoring equipment. However, these are impractical for the BBC’s performers and only offer retrospective monitoring, which means noise-mitigation measures cannot be deployed fast enough to suit changing conditions as the orchestra or choir performs.

Stantec developed a real-time noise assessment system that removes the need for personal wearables altogether. With advances in Micro-Electro-Mechanical System microphone technology, wireless connectivity, and advanced spatial interpolation algorithms, the system uses distributed sensors to dynamically model, estimate, and predict a performer’s exposure in a space. This allows for proactive interventions to occur before harmful noise levels are reached; it fosters a more inclusive way to protect the hearing of performers.

​The solution has the potential to revolutionize how Noise at Work regulations are managed across the music industry and other sectors with dynamic or sensitive work environments.