Acoustic Associates

IOA and ANC Approved Sound Insulation Testing Course
Acoustic Associates (Peterborough), in conjunction with both the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) are now delighted to offer additional dates for the four day IOA Apporved training course. This course can assist employees of ANC registered Companies to gain knowledge to aid Accredited Tester status, and enable Technician Membership (TechIOA) of the IOA.

One of the requirements in Approved Document E (ADE) of the Building Regulations states that bodies conducting testing should have third party accreditation. With the ANC scheme being approved by the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), it offers its members the opportunity to achieve third party tester accreditation. This course is designed to enhance the abilities and knowledge base of the delegates with a view to assisting the registration of testers through the existing ANC accreditation route.

Training Course Overview

The four day training course has been prepared using the procedures and guidance in Approved Document E (Resistance to the passage of sound), specific testing and analysing standards as well as structured teaching practises delivered on other competent Person Training Courses run by Acoustic Associates.  The course syllabus contains the following topics:

  • Fundamentals of Building Acoustics
  • Building Element Properties
  • Standards and Regulations
  • Measurement Techniques
  • Documentation of Results

The first two days would be based around classroom presentations, incorporating practical demonstrations. The third day would be dealing with all aspects of testing, including conducting “real-life” practical airborne and impact testing – using supplied instrumentation; the final day will include the written and practical examinations.

Training Course Details

Why should I attend?
To become an ANC registered accredited tester the successful applicant will still be required to prove their abilities by undertaking field tests and producing competent sound insulation reports, conducted in conjunction with the ANC Registration Scheme. As this scheme requires a minimum age / qualification, the Institute of Acoustics now state that “This course is approved for the purposes of meeting the specialist educational and training requirements for election to Technician Membership of the Institute of Acoustics”.

How much will it cost?
The price is based on a limited number of delegates on each course (up to 8 per course), which ensures personal attention, and ample use of supplied instrumentation to enable every delegate to be become confident at undertaking and understanding ADE Pre-Completion Testing.

Included in the price is full documentation of test procedures, relevant Guidance and British Standards information (BS EN ISO 140-4, 140-7, 717-1 & 717-2), use of calibrated test instrumentation and lunches on all training days. The price per delegate is £ 1,500 plus VAT (which excludes accommodation and evening meals).

When and Where are the courses scheduled to run?
The 2008 series of courses starts in February, with courses being run on:

Tuesday 26th – Friday 29th February 2008
Tuesday 13th – Friday 16th May 2008
Tuesday 23rd – Friday 26th September 2008
Tuesday 9th – Friday 12th December 2008.

The venue for the course will be The Holiday Inn (Peterborough West) on the outskirts of Peterborough, with facilities to enable “practical” testing of room pairs to be carried out.

What is the format?
The format will be centred around lecture / seminar presentations delivering the technical and regulative content, whilst being backed up with anecdotal / experience of sound insulation testing. Practical elements will feature heavily during the presentations, with delegates given every opportunity to participate in a ‘Hands-On’ approach. To ensure a competent delivery of the course at least one of the lecturers will have a formal teaching qualification; moreover accredited testers will be used to demonstrate and advise delegates on measurement and analysis techniques, with all trainers being members of the Institute of Acoustics.

The final day will include written and practical examinations, with the written papers consisting of a test of technical elements and the regulations; the second requiring faults to be identified in a sample report.

Do I need any formal qualifications?
Although a formal engineering based qualification would be advantageous, it is not deemed necessary as long as it is understood that there are sessions within the course dealing with relatively complex calculations.  A reasonable understanding of Sound Level Meters / Instrumentation will be required.

Shown below are a few of the comments received back from participating delegates upon course completion. We hope this demonstrates the type of course we are presenting, together with the level of effort we inject into the course material and
presentation standard. 

  • “This is a well-structured training course, aimed at providing an in-depth appreciation of the subject area. Although the course addresses a very specific area of building acoustics, it does provide detailed coverage of not only the relevant measurement and testing protocols but also the underlying design and construction aspects. In terms of academic level, the course is pitched somewhere between certificate of Competence Level and Diploma Level. The teaching material is well
    designed and presented by experienced professionals”. - Institute of Acoustics – Membership Committee
  • “A superb insight to what is required, Thank you”
  • “V. good course. Helped clarify a lot of points. Would recommend course to others seeking accreditation”
  • “Very thorough and extremely helpful”
  • “Good course – Well delivered”
  • “Very Good Course – enjoyed it immensely”
  • “As someone who carries out tests I feel that I have now confirmed that I carry out tests correctly, but have learnt some theory to compliment results”.

Click here to view our Client Sectors.