prEN IEC 61252:2024

This document specifies:
– performance specifications for personal sound exposure meters,
– details of the tests necessary to verify conformance to all mandatory specifications for the purpose of pattern evaluation, and
– procedures for periodic testing of a personal sound exposure meter.
Personal sound exposure meters conforming to the requirements of this standard have a specified frequency response for sound incident on the microphone from all directions.
This document is applicable to instruments that are designed to be worn on a person in a configuration specified by the manufacturer for the measurement of sound immission resulting from steady, intermittent, fluctuating, irregular, or impulsive sounds. For reproducibility of results, specifications and tests for the response to sound waves apply without an operator present in the sound field.
This document specifies performance requirements for personal sound exposure meters of one performance class. The specifications generally correspond to those for a class 2 integrating-averaging sound level meter as given in IEC 61672-1:2013 for an A-weighted sound pressure level range at least from 67 dB to 137 dB and a nominal frequency range from 20 Hz to 8 kHz. The design goals and the acceptance limits for deviations from the design goals are representative of the performance of practical instruments. Personal sound exposure meters are unlikely to be suitable for measurement of sound levels outside these ranges.
Pattern evaluation tests and periodic tests described in this edition of this document apply to personal sound exposure meters for which the manufacturer claims conformance to the specifications given in this edition of this document.
The purpose of pattern evaluation is to determine whether a model of personal sound exposure meter conforms to all the performance specifications given in this document.
The purpose of periodic testing is to assure the user that the individual personal sound exposure meter conforms to the applicable performance specifications for a limited set of key tests and for the environmental conditions under which the tests are performed. The extent of the periodic tests is deliberately restricted to the minimum considered necessary. Because of the limited extent of the periodic tests, evidence of pattern approval is necessary to state that the individual personal sound exposure meter conforms to the complete set of specifications of this document.
The aim is to ensure that pattern evaluation and periodic testing are performed in a consistent manner by all laboratories.