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
Traceable Calibration
Traceable, manufacturers or verified calibration is not acceptable
Precision
Sound level meters shall be able to measure and report sound pressure level to a minimum of 1 decimal place. Sound level meters shall measure and report reverberation time down to 2 decimal places.
Competence with Equipment
Testers must be familiar with and competent in the operation of all testing equipment they use for the level of certification they hold to carry out sound insulation tests in accordance with industry Standards called for in Building Regulations, Approved Documents, whether owned, borrowed or hired.
Calibration Accuracy
All the following specifications are required of all equipment used, which must all be undertaken by a UKAS accredited calibration laboratory accredited for the specific class of calibration required.
| 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 2 years 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 94dB or 114dB at a frequency of 1000Hz. |
Dedicated UKAS/ILAC accredited facility, calibrated every year 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 on each site visit
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 (See Section 4.1 – Speaker Stability Assessment) |
|
|
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. (See Section 4.2 – Speaker Directivity Assessment) |
|
|
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:
Checks can be completed by external laboratory’s whom themselves hold UKAS accreditation but are not specifically accredited to conduct the One-Off Tapping Machine checks.
Where these checks are completed externally, and the laboratory holds UKAS accreditation, the FOS022 is not required to be completed. A certificate of completion is acceptable to SITMA on the basis that it contains the minimum information as follows:
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 |
None |
No strict requirement. Maximum fall height to be
declared.
Feet to be raised to a maximum height and
maximum drop height measured. |
Record Keeping
A record shall be kept of all equipment used for testing and pre-completion testing including that which is not owned by the tester. Equipment shall be uploaded to the SITMA Portal.
Using equipment that is not registered on the SITMA Portal will result in instant suspension from the SITMA Scheme. Details of equipment used but not owned by the tester should be included in the information submitted for the next audit. Testers should have procedures in place to ensure that borrowed or hired equipment is (a) in calibration, and (b) performing correctly. Calibration certificates for the borrowed or hired equipment must be presented at the next audit.
Manufacturers Software/Firmware
The Scheme Manager and Technical Committee will investigate and approve if appropriate the latest version of
BZ5503
Nor-Xfer
Nor-connect
Any Testers wishing to use their own conversion tool must allow it to be check during the audit process (Standard data to aid checking can be provided prior to this).
Using approved software DOES NOT assure a correct result for the sound insulation test is produced. The overall test set up, test and input must be in harmony for the correct result.
The SITMA system works with the following sound level meters:
| 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 2.7
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