What Causes Quiet Products to Come to Market?

This article reviews why companies bring quiet products to the market. Is it due to laws limiting the sound at property lines, regulations limiting the noise emissions, lawsuits, union requirements, adverse publicity, market demand, or a host of other reasons? The authors will review the effects of laws at the federal level limiting noise emissions. Employee lawsuits relating to occupational exposure will be investigated along with lawsuits between neighbors. An example of how an employee lawsuit resulted in a manufacturer developing a quiet product will be reviewed. They will also review how corporate "buy-quiet" requirements have resulted in quieter equipment without a regulatory requirement.