Noise in Renovated Buildings

Published February 2000

There is a tendency to underestimate the detrimental effect that renovation work in occupied buildings has on the people who are working in those buildings. If you have to renovate, it's important to go to great lengths to control noise, dust and the intrusion of outside workers. These three factors can bring your entire workforce down to about 20 percent output and cost you many times the cost of the project in lost production. Construction noise gives people headaches. Dust will clog your filters and ruin office equipment and computers. Make sure tradespeople have separate access and parking.