Who does what as regards noise issues?
Anyone who carries on environmentally hazardous activity is responsible for the environmental impact that can arise as a result of the noise they generate. Municipal authorities, county administrative boards and many central government agencies have responsibilities relating to different issues linked to noise.
Anyone who carries on environmentally hazardous activity is responsible for the environmental impact that can arise from the noise they generate. This means that road, rail, airport and port operators/owners are responsible for the noise that is generated by their facility.
The government or a municipal authority or private enterprise can be an operator.
The operator’s responsibilities
The Environmental Code contains provisions concerning a duty to conduct investigations. According to these provisions, an operator must carry out the investigations concerning the activity that are necessary for the supervision.
This means that an operator may be obliged to take measures and carry out other checks if anyone complains about noise from their activities. A standardised assessment method should be used when taking measurements.
Responsibility for land use planning
Municipal authorities are responsible for land use planning. Under the Planning and Building Act, municipal authorities can designate protection areas around, for example, industrial activities (environmentally hazardous activities in the sense of the Environmental Code). This will ensure that there is sufficient distance between the source of the nuisance and the surrounding environment.
Responsibility for operational supervision
Municipal authorities or county administrative boards are responsible for the operational supervision of transport infrastructure and other activities. Within the Swedish Armed Forces, the Surgeon General is responsible for operational supervision.
The responsibilities of central government agencies
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for providing guidance concerning how the Environmental Code should be applied and has a national coordination responsibility as regards environmental noise.
The Swedish Work Environment Authority is responsible for noise in the working environment.
The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning is responsible for planning aspects and for monitoring the objectives for the Swedish environmental objective “A good built environment”.
The Surgeon General has supervisory responsibility under the Environmental Code for health risks within activities where the Armed Forces, Fortifications Agency, Defence Materiel Administration or the National Defence Radio Establishment is the operator.
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management’s responsibilities include noise and other impacts in the marine and aquatic environments.
The Swedish Consumer Agency has supervisory responsibility as regards products, e.g. toys and domestic appliances.
The Swedish Civil Aviation Administration is responsible for airports and air traffic control.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden is a national knowledge agency with overarching responsibility for public health issues. The agency’s remit is to promote health, prevent ill-health and protect against health threats.
The Swedish Maritime Administration is responsible for maritime safety and passage.
The Swedish Transport Administration is responsible for the long-term planning of the transport system for road traffic, rail traffic, shipping and aviation, and is also responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of public roads and railways. These responsibilities encompass environmental issues, including noise.
The Swedish Transport Agency formulates regulations concerning railways, aviation, shipping and road traffic. The Transport Agency also works to minimise the negative environmental impact of civil aviation and has overall responsibility for the environmental adaptation of the aviation sector.