Lakeridge Health Oshawa

Location:  Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Owner/Operator:  Lakeridge Health

Lakeridge Health Oshawa, formerly Oshawa General Hospital, is a hospital located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in August 1910 in a two-story building, and major expansions were undertaken in the decades since. Today, the hospital is the largest in the Regional Municipality of Durham, with 637 beds, 75,000 emergency visits and 27,600 surgeries a year.

Acoustic Assessment in accordance with Ontario Environmental Guidelines

HGC has been working with Lakeridge Health since 2012 when we were first asked to undertake an Acoustic Assessment of the healthcare facility. The Assessment was required  to support an application to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for an Environmental Compliance Approval for the facility.

Detailed Sound Level Measurements and Acoustic Modelling

In order to assess the sound levels of the hospital, HGC staff conducted detailed sound level measurements of every source of sound at the healthcare facility. The measured source sound levels were then used as input to create a computational acoustic model of the hospital, which enabled us to:

• Determine the net sound levels from the site, excluding interference from other noise sources in the area, such as road traffic, etc.
• Quantify the contribution of each individual noise source to the overall offsite sound levels at critical points of reception. This can be useful to identify the loudest sources at the site, and also which sources might require noise abatement.

As part of this work, HGC assisted Lakeridge Health with the design of noise control measures for the ventilation system of their many mechanical rooms. Mechanical rooms at healthcare facility are typically equipped with a myriad of air-handling units, which supply fresh air to the interior spaces of the hospital via ducting, and which also discharge exhaust air via ventilation openings. HGC undertook a detailed acoustical analysis to identify the sources of noise within the mechanical rooms, and assisted Lakeridge Health to select multiple mitigation solutions, either in the form of duct silencers for selected exhaust fans or acoustical louvres installed directly at the ventilation openings at the façade.

In addition, HGC also aided with selection of appropriate noise control measures for several proposed exhaust fans, to ensure that their contribution will remain within the Ontario environmental noise guidelines.

Acoustical Consulting Services Included:

• Detailed acoustical measurements of all sound sources at the facility including ventilation openings of mechanical rooms; HVAC equipment; cooling towers; and diesel power generators
• Preparation of the Acoustic Assessment Report (AAR) to obtain an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)
• Assessment of sound levels in accordance with MECP guideline NPC-300
• Noise control solutions for air-handling units in mechanical rooms