Trane Sponsors Committee to Hush Hospital Noise

Trane, Piscataway, NJ, is showing its commitment to improving acoustical conditions and speech privacy in healthcare environments through its sponsorship of the Noise, Sound Privacy Action Committee (NSPAC).

“An abundance of research shows that noise has serious health effects in hospitals and the rest of the world. In particular, noise has been shown to have direct links to diabetes and heart disease,” says David M. Sykes, co-chairman of the Noise, Sound Privacy Action Committee.

“Public and governmental support for research in this area has been negligible for 30 years as a result of the de-funding of the “Noise Control Act” in 1980, but attention to acoustics is now increasing worldwide,” Sykes says. “The contribution of Trane and other supporters makes it possible for a large and broad constituency to develop and advocate on behalf of effective policy. We’re very pleased to have Trane on board, because their position in the industry makes the point that the private sector is engaged in this policy-making enterprise.”

In recent years, Trane has provided strong support for the classroom acoustics standard (ASA 12.60) in schools and will expand its commitment to the subject of acoustics by sponsoring the healthcare work.

“Through our sponsorship of the NSPAC, we hope to help drive the need for stronger acoustical engineering in future healthcare building projects, to help address the noise epidemic occurring in the healthcare industry,” according to Gary Luepke, senior systems engineer, Trane. “The availability of high quality, tested sound data from Trane and other equipment manufacturers will become a key ingredient for acousticians to do their jobs in the future,” Luepke says.

Visit www.trane.com for additional information.