'[The Constable measures the sound level at 91dB, the max that his decibel metre can record]
This level of noise, the CDC writes, can cause hearing damage after two hours of exposure. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration advises that employees can only work in 90-decibel settings for eight hours a day and are required to wear ear protection. And Texas state penal code deems any noise above 85 decibels unreasonable. Over the course of 2024, [the Constable] has recorded a noise above 85 decibels coming from the plant more than 35 times. "
Whilst the health concerns reported are the thing that would make these complaints more serious (if true), this level of noise is also just insanely high from a nuisance perspective, even if the health problems of the town are unrelated.
mrpants@midwest.social 2 months ago
It could be but also mining facilities are ridiculously loud and the sound is very high pitched. Would drive anyone nuts if they could hear it.
scytale@lemm.ee 2 months ago
On the inside, yeah maybe; but a properly designed data center shouldn’t be louder than any typical building on the outside. But hey, this is in a rural Texas town, so I won’t be surprised if the building is not up to code.
Bricriu@lemmy.world 2 months ago
“Properly” and “should” are doing a lot of work here.
aniki@lemmings.world 2 months ago
Huh? That makes no sense. High pitched sounds are attenuated VERY easily and the only sound you could ever hear outside the dozen or so I’ve worked in/around you could only hear the HVAC gear outside. There’s a reason why when you go see a concert outside there’s a linear array of horns facing the audience while the subs are under the stage.
mrpants@midwest.social 2 months ago
I agree. So if people are hearing it and demonstrating it with decibel readers then there’s probably little to no sound dampening.
Fuzzypyro@lemmy.world 2 months ago
They are deafening but usually they are very well insulated seeing as keeping servers cool is very expensive and extremely important.