What is BS 4142 about?
BS 4142 on industrial and commercial sound is the latest edition of a British Standard which describes how to rate and assess industrial and commercial sound.
BS 4142 describes methods for rating and assessing sound of an industrial and/or commercial nature.
The methods described in BS 4142 use outdoor sound levels to assess the likely effects of sound on people who might be inside or outside a dwelling or premises used for residential purposes upon which sound is incident.
Who is BS 4142 for?
BS 4142 on methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound is relevant to: 
- Environmental Health Officers
- Acoustics and noise consultants
- Planning officials and design engineers
- Legal and training purposes
Why should you use BS 4142?
BS 4142 on industrial and commercial sound is used to assess the impact of industrial and commercial sound. It covers a range of methods starting with subjective through objective, to the reference method. An assessor can decide what level of detail is appropriate in each case. 
BS 4142 also provides an assessment method for the problem of tones and an assessment method for impulsive sounds.
BS 4142 acknowledges that the influence of the context in which the sound is heard is a significant modifier of the impact, in line with subjective assessments.
BS 4142 supports current UK planning guidance and Environment Agency requirements on noise impact assessments.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS 4142:2014+A1:2019 supersedes BS 4142:2014, which is withdrawn.
BS 4142:2014+A1:2019 includes some technical changes with respect to BS 4142:2014. These are:
- The introduction of uncertainty, including good practice for reducing uncertainty
- The examples in Annex A have been considerably expanded
