Noise pollution in construction sites is a significant concern, impacting worker health, safety, communication, and productivity. The current study aims to assess the paramount consequences of ambient noise pollution on construction activities and workers’ productivity in Peshawar, Pakistan. Noise measurements have been recorded at four different construction sites in Peshawar at different times of the day. Statistical analysis and Relative Importance Index (RII) are employed to evaluate the data Risk variables, such as equipment maintenance, noise control, increased workload, material handling challenges, quality control issues, and client satisfaction. The results indicated that noise levels often exceeded permissible limits, particularly in the afternoon, posing significant worker risks. In addition, RII analysis identified communication difficulties, safety hazards, and decreased productivity as significant issues. The results show that noise pollution is directly linked with safety risks, decreased performance, and client dissatisfaction and needs immediate attention by authorities. This paper proposes a strategic policy framework, recommending uniform hand signals and visual communication methods without noise for workers, worker training about safety, and using wearable devices in noisy settings. Communication training for teams and crane operators, proactive quality control, and customer-oriented project schedules are also proposed. These recommendations aim to mitigate the adverse effects of noise pollution, enhance construction industry resilience, and improve overall operational efficiency, worker safety, and client satisfaction in the construction sector of Peshawar, aligning with policy and sustainable development objectives.

1. Ahn, C. R., Lee, S., & Peña-Mora, F. (2013). Acceleromter-Based Measurement of Construction Equipment Operating Efficiency for Monitoring Environmental Performance. Computing in Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413029.071
2. Ahn, C. R., Lee, S., Sun, C., et al. (2019). Wearable sensing technology applications in construction safety and health. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 145(11), 3119007. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001708
3. Aluko, B. T., & Amidu, A. R. (2005). Corporate business valuation for mergers and acquisitions. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 9(3), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.3846/1648715x.2005.9637535
4. Aluko, O. R., Idoro, G. I., & Ajayi, S. O. (2021). Perceived service quality of architectural consultancy firms and client satisfaction in building projects in Nigeria. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 20(5), 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.1108/jedt-09-2020-0369
5. Alzoubi, H. M., Ahmed, G., & Alshurideh, M. (2022). An empirical investigation into the impact of product quality dimensions on improving the order-winners and customer satisfaction. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 36(2), 169. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijpqm.2022.124711
6. Eboli, L., & Mazzulla, G. (2021). Customer Satisfaction as a Measure of Service Quality in Public Transport Planning. International Encyclopedia of Transportation, 220–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102671-7.10643-8
7. Imran, M., Ali, S., Shahwan, Y., et al. (2022). Analyzing the Effects of Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Usage and Technological Innovation on Environmental Sustainability: Evidence from QUAD Economies. Sustainability, 14(23), 15552. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315552
8. Lama, C., Sah, D. P., & Kumar Mishra, A. (2019). Occupational hazards identification and their risk assessment during the construction of head race tunnel in middle bhotekoshi hydroelectric project. International Journal of Research -Granthaalayah, 7(3), 227–248. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v7.i3.2019.965
9. Lim, M. H., Lee, Y. L., & Tan, O. K. (2023). Assessing the performance of the simple noise chart method for construction noise prediction in earth-moving activity. E3S Web of Conferences, 422, 03001. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202342203001
10. Mir, M., Nasirzadeh, F., Bereznicki, H., et al. (2023). Construction noise effects on human health: Evidence from physiological measures. Sustainable Cities and Society, 91, 104470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104470
11. Mir, M., Nasirzadeh, F., Lee, S., et al. (2022). Construction noise management: A systematic review and directions for future research. Applied Acoustics, 197, 108936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2022.108936
12. Mohamed, M. (2021). A study of noise pollution and impact on human health. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Current Research, 9, 610-614. https://doi.org/10.14741/ijmcr/v.9.6.3
13. Mora, Z., Suharyanto, A., & Yahya, M. (2020). Effect of Work Safety and Work Healthy Towards Employee’s Productivity in PT. Sisirau Aceh Tamiang. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal): Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(2), 753–760. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v3i2.887
14. Münzel, T., Molitor, M., Kuntic, M., et al. (2024). Transportation Noise Pollution and Cardiovascular Health. Circulation Research, 134(9), 1113–1135. https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.123.323584
15. Münzel, T., Sørensen, M., & Daiber, A. (2021). Transportation noise pollution and cardiovascular disease. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 18(9), 619–636. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-021-00532-5
16. Newbury, J. B., Heron, J., Kirkbride, J. B., et al. (2024). Air and Noise Pollution Exposure in Early Life and Mental Health From Adolescence to Young Adulthood. JAMA Network Open, 7(5), e2412169. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12169
17. Nikbakht, M. V., Gheibi, M., Montazeri, H., et al. (2024). Identification and Ranking of Factors Affecting the Delay Risk of High-Rise Construction Projects Using AHP and VIKOR Methods. Infrastructures, 9(2), 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures9020024
18. Obrenovic, B., Jianguo, D., Khudaykulov, A., et al. (2020). Work-Family Conflict Impact on Psychological Safety and Psychological Well-Being: A Job Performance Model. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00475
19. Rahmat, A. K., Ibrahim, I., Senathirajah, A. R. S., et al. (2023). The Relationship Between Green Management Commitment and Effectiveness of Occupational Safety and Health Committee. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(4), e0933. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i4.933
20. Rani, M. N., & Laws, I. (2018). Fire Safety Norms and Personal Well Being: A Critical Analysis of the Fire Safety Measures in Different Buildings. URIJ, 6(2), 1-8.
21. Sadeghi, J., & Vasheghani, M. (2021). Safety of buildings against train induced structure borne noise. Building and Environment, 197, 107784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107784
22. Sarker, P. C., Siddique, Md. N. E. A., & Sultana, S. (2023). A Review of Environmental Noise Pollution and Impacts on Human Health in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainability, 7(3), 80–87. https://doi.org/10.26554/ijems.2023.7.3.80-87
23. Shaikh, H. H., Zainun, N. Y., & Khahro, S. H. (2023). Impact of Noise Pollution at Construction Sites of Sindh Pakistan. E3S Web of Conferences, 437, 02003. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202343702003
24. Siddiqua, A., Hahladakis, J. N., & Al-Attiya, W. A. K. A. (2022). An overview of the environmental pollution and health effects associated with waste landfilling and open dumping. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(39), 58514–58536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21578-z
25. Sohrabi, S., Pàmies Gómez, T., & Romeu Garbí, J. (2020). Suitability of Active Noise Barriers for Construction Sites. Applied Sciences, 10(18), 6160. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186160
26. Suter, A. H. (2007). Development of Standards and Regulations for Occupational Noise. Handbook of Noise and Vibration Control, 377–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470209707.ch32
27. Themann, C. L., & Masterson, E. A. (2019). Occupational noise exposure: A review of its effects, epidemiology, and impact with recommendations for reducing its burden. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 146(5), 3879–3905. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5134465
28. Thompson, R., Smith, R. B., Karim, Y. B., et al. (2022). Noise pollution and human cognition: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of recent evidence. Environment International, 158, 106905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106905
29. Vandenplas, O., Vinnikov, D., Blanc, P. D., et al. (2018). Impact of Rhinitis on Work Productivity: A Systematic Review. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 6(4), 1274-1286.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2017.09.002
30. Vardaxis, N. G., Bard, D., & Waye, K. P. (2018). Review of acoustic comfort evaluation in dwellings—part I: Associations of acoustic field data to subjective responses from building surveys. Building Acoustics, 25(2), 151–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/1351010x18762687
31. Voordt, T. van der, & Jensen, P. A. (2021). The impact of healthy workplaces on employee satisfaction, productivity and costs. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 25(1), 29–49. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcre-03-2021-0012
32. WHO. (2018). Environmental noise guidelines for the European region. Available online: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289053563 (accessed on 2 March 2024).
33. Xu, W., Chan, S. C., & Leong, W. Y. (2023). Effectiveness Study of Artificial Intelligent Facility System in Maintaining Building Fire Safety (Case Study: Typical Public Building Cases of Fire-Fighting Facilities Management in China). Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2023, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/2592322
34. Yang, Y., Zhang, E., Zhang, J., et al. (2018). Relationship between occupational noise exposure and the risk factors of cardiovascular disease in China. Medicine, 97(30), e11720. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000011720
35. Zaman, M., Muslim, M., & Jehangir, A. (2022). Environmental noise-induced cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health disorders: a brief review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(51), 76485–76500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22351-y
36. Zaporowska, Z., & Szczepański, M. (2024). The Application of Environmental, Social and Governance Standards in Operational Risk Management in SSC in Poland. Sustainability, 16(6), 2413. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062413