The minimum requirements are as follows:
Airborne (Part 1)
Sound Level Meter
Speaker (& amplifier)
Calibrator
Impact (Part 2)
Sound Level Meter
Speaker (& amplifier)
Calibrator
Tapping Machine
Items requiring accredited calibration shall be calibrated by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 or equivalent ILAC recognised accreditation for the relevant measurement class. Other items may be verified through functional checks, in‑house measurements or one‑off tests where permitted by applicable acoustic standards.
Calibration certificates supplied by manufacturers, distributors, or non-accredited laboratories are not acceptable. Items requiring calibration must be calibrated by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 (UKAS or ILAC recognised) for the relevant measurement.
Traceable Calibration
Traceable, manufacturers or verified calibration is not acceptable
Precision Requirements (Sound Level Meters)
Sound level meters shall measure and report sound pressure level to a minimum resolution of 0.1 dB (1 decimal place). Sound level meters shall measure and report reverberation time (RT) to a minimum resolution of 0.01 s (2 decimal places).
| Item | Accuracy | Calibration Requirements |
|---|---|---|
|
Sound Level Meter |
The accuracy of the sound level measurement equipment shall comply and be verified against the Class 1 requirements of BS EN 61672-1:2013;
(which supersedes IEC 60651 and IEC 60804 listed in BS EN ISO 140-4:1998 & BS EN ISO 140-7:1998). QMS037 provides further justification for the use of newer calibration standards. |
Dedicated UKAS/ILAC accredited facility, calibrated every 24 months or after any damage or repair. |
|
Filters* The filters shall comply with the class 1 requirements defined in BS EN 61260:1996 or BS EN 61260-3:2016. |
*SLM’s calibrated after 01
January 2024 are required to
comply with the Filters and RT
calibration. SLM’s calibrated before this must have Filters and RT calibrated at the next biennial calibration period. |
|
|
Reverberation Time* Reverberation Time (RT) Verification Check to be carried out at all one-third octave band frequencies between 100Hz and 3150Hz. |
||
|
Calibrator |
The accuracy of the sound calibrator must comply and be
verified against the requirements of accuracy class 1
defined in IEC 60942:2017. The calibrator must produce a noise level of either 94.0dB or 114.0dB at a frequency of 1000Hz. |
Dedicated UKAS/ILAC accredited facility, calibrated every 12 months or after any damage or repair. |
|
Speaker and Tripod |
The speaker and noise source: • shall be capable of producing at least 90.0dB at all one-third octave band frequencies (100 – 3150Hz) in normal use (reverberant room). • Requirements of PUS021 must be met regarding speaker positioning and stability requirements |
To be assessed and checked at the Initial Audit
Tester shall verify for each test they do |
|
Stability Check The speaker and noise source shall: • produce a steady, flat spectrum (ensures different parallel frequencies are no more than 6dB different). |
Completed either by the tester, or by a 3rd party verification company on entry every 2 years.
Must be documented on the SITMA Portal (PUS021 – Speaker Stability and Directivity Checks, and/or the section below this table) |
|
|
Directivity Check
• produce a continuous stable noise. |
Completed either by the tester, or by a 3rd party verification company on entry every 2 years. Must be documented on the SITMA Portal. (PUS021 – Speaker Stability and Directivity Checks, and/or the section below this table) |
|
|
Those who wish to be in part 2 of the scheme must also comply with the below |
||
|
Tapping Machine |
The Tapping Machine shall comply and be verified with the details as discussed in Annex A of ISO 140-7:1998 |
Dedicated UKAS/ILAC accredited facility, calibrated every 2 years or after any damage or repair.
Drop heights checked before each test |
|
BS EN ISO-7:1998 Appendix A “one off checks” |
Completed either by the tester,
or by a 3rd party verification
company when registered on the
portal. Must be documented on the SITMA Portal (See section 4.3 – Tapping Machine one off checks) |
|
Checks can be completed by an external laboratory whom themselves hold UKAS accreditation but are not specifically accredited to conduct the speaker checks.
Where these checks are completed externally, and the laboratory holds UKAS accreditation, the FOS016 and FOS017 are not required to be completed.
A certificate of completion is acceptable to SITMA on the basis that it contains the minimum information as follows:
BS EN ISO 140‑7:1998 Annex A defines the mechanical and performance requirements for a standard tapping machine. The parameters listed in this section shall be confirmed before a tapping machine is authorised for use within the SITMA Scheme.
Periodic calibration conducted by an accredited laboratory may cover some, but not all, of the Annex A requirements. Where any required parameter is not included in the calibration report, the tester shall measure and record the values using the SITMA Lodgement Portal form ‘FOS022 – Tapping Machine One‑Off Check Template’. This can be requested by emailing SITMA.
The following parameters are required to be measured once only, unless the tapping machine has been modified, repaired, or had components replaced. These constitute the “one‑off checks” required under ISO 140‑7 Annex A.
SITMA Members can use our template to enter their data in and submit their “one off” Tapping Machine Checks. The template can be found on the SITMA Portal.
Our current issue is: Issue 1.1 – 29th April 2024
| One Off Check | Requirement | Discussion |
|---|---|---|
|
Distance between hammers |
100mm ±3mm |
The tapping machine shall have five hammers
placed in a line. The distance between centrelines
of neighbouring hammers shall be (100 ± 3) mm. |
|
Supports of the
tapping machine |
>100mm |
The distance between the centre of the supports of
the tapping machine and the centrelines of
neighbouring hammers shall be at least 100 mm.
The supports shall be equipped with vibrational
insulating pads. |
|
Time between impact & lift |
80ms |
Can be self recorded using a slow motion phone
camera.
Figure to be declared. |
|
Maximum possible fall height |
No specific limit |
No strict requirement. Maximum fall height to be
declared.
Feet to be raised to a maximum height and
maximum drop height measured. |
Manufacturers Software/Firmware
SITMA does not assess, verify, or approve manufacturer software, firmware or hardware. Manufacturers declare compliance with the relevant acoustic standards (e.g., BS EN 61672‑1:2013), and testers remain responsible for ensuring their equipment and associated software remain compliant through valid accredited calibration and correct configuration.
Data-Export Compatibility
SITMA’s review is limited solely to confirming that the file produced by the tester’s equipment or software can be correctly processed by the SITMA Portal. This is a compatibility check only; it is not a verification of measurement accuracy, processing algorithms, or software functionality.
File‑format compatibility forms one of the equipment acceptance criteria defined in Section 6 – Equipment Compatibility.
SITMA does not approve, certify, or validate sound level meters or other test equipment. Equipment is accepted for use only where an objective verification review confirms that the model and the individual instrument meet all of the following criteria:
The SITMA SLM Compatibility table (FOS037) is maintained separately and represents the complete set of models that have undergone SITMA’s objective review process.
A list of sound level meters currently known to be compatible with the SITMA Portal and to also comply with the requirements of 6.1.1.
| Make | Model | Upload Type | UK Distributor | Building Acoustics Module Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brüel & Kjær | 2250 | .rnd | Bruel & Kjaer www.bksv.com/ | Yes |
| Brüel & Kjær | 2270 | .rnd | Bruel & Kjaer www.bksv.com/ | Yes |
| Norsonic | Nor-140 | .xslx | ANV Measurement Systems www.anv.uk.comk/ | Yes |
| Norsonic | Nor-145 | .xslx | ANV Measurement Systems www.anv.uk.comk/ | Yes |
| Norsonic | Nor-150 | .xslx | ANV Measurement Systems www.anv.uk.comk/ | Yes |
| Norsonic | Nor-118 | .xslx | ANV Measurement Systems www.anv.uk.comk/ | No (workaround required) |
| Rion | NA-28 | .xlsx | ANV Measurements Systems www.noise-and-vibration.co.uk/ | No |
| Rion | NA-58 | .xlsx | ANV Measurements Systems www.noise-and-vibration.co.uk/ | No |
| NTi Audio | XL2 | .txt | NTi Audio www.nti-audio.com | Yes |
| NTi Audio | XL3 | .txt | NTi Audio www.nti-audio.com | Yes |
| Svantek | 979 | .spr | Svantek www.acsoft.co.uk/svantek | No (app required) |
| Svantek | 977 | .spr | Svantek www.acsoft.co.uk/svantek | No (app required) |
| Svantek | 971A | .spr | Svantek www.acsoft.co.uk/svantek | No (app required) |
Ref: PUS007 – Issue 2.9
