Mobile Applications for Noise Measurement in the Workplace - A Systematic Review

Mobile sound level applications have been proposed as potential substitutes for the conventional sound level meters for noise measurement. However, their performance in measuring noise remain uncertain in the workplace. As such, the current systematic review aimed to identify the various mobile sound level applications that accurately measured noise in the workplace. Literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 17 studies were included from 1184 retrieved articles. A total of 42 mobile sound level applications were identified (30 iOS and 12 android applications). iOS applications such as the NoiSee (n = 4), SPLnFFT (n = 3), and SLA Lite (n = 3) were the accurate applications to measure noise in general. However, when stratified according to the site of study, the NIOSH SLM (n = 2) was most accurate in measuring noise level in the workplace (i.e., field), while NoiSee (n = 4) was the most accurate application in laboratory setting. iOS applications also outperformed Android applications in accuracy. External microphones measured noise better than internal microphones, and devices within three years old provided the most accurate noise measurements.