MANAGEMENT OF THE OCCUPATIONAL RISK FROM EXPOSURE TO NOISE IN THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF AIRPORT GROUND PERSONNEL THROUGH NOISE REDUCTION AT THE SOURCE - CURRENT STATUS AND TRENDS IN THE LEGISLATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

Abstract

Noise is any unpleasant and irritating sound that disturbs the silence and poses a health hazard, causing a variety of functional and structural impairments; reduces working capacity, makes it difficult to speak and follow sound signals from the environment and work environment.
Aircraft noise is a current problem that is considered globally mainly in the area of its impact on the environment and society as a whole, but it is also essential for those working at the airport itself. Reducing the level of noise at its source, including aircraft, by implementing new technologies emitting noise within the permissible limits is one of the main and radical solutions to this problem. The purpose of the report is to analyze the legislative frameworks and trends on an international scale, including in the European Union and the Republic of Bulgaria in the field of reducing aircraft noise at the source itself; to make generalized conclusions with practical application in the researched area. A comparative study of the regulatory requirements for limiting noise from the aircraft itself was conducted. The methods used in the analysis are normative, formal-logical with analysis of official documents and data. The results of the study show identity in the general legislative framework at the international level, including in the European Union and the Republic of Bulgaria, based on the application of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (also known as Chicago Convention). Aircraft noise certification aims to establish compliance with established standards and recommended practices, that the latest noise reduction technologies have been incorporated into the design of the aircraft. In assessing and managing the occupational risk of exposure to aircraft noise, it is necessary to take into account the aircraft's noise performance certificates, which form part of its certificate of airworthiness, identifying the aircraft operating at the particular airport and the operational limitations.