Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said sensors being placed at the port, on nearby Flagstaff Hill and in Careys Bay will help his staff work out exactly where loud noises occur, so they can be dealt with.
Mr Winders said when community members heard loud noises they rang the port to complain.
"They ring our supervisor and say there’s been a big bang."
That supervisor might have 32 people working, and would get on the two-way radio to ask workers to be careful.
"It’s a sort of shotgun approach, and there’s probably 31 guys out there that have done the right thing, and one guy who’s not aware that he’s creating a noise."
Mr Winders said Port Otago had bought two pieces of technology to deal with the issue.
The first used three synchronised noise sensors.
If there was a noise it was recorded by each sensor and date-stamped.
That meant if there was a complaint, staff could check when the noise was recorded, listen to it and work out what it was.
The second was "telemetry software" which had been ordered and was due next month.
That enabled the port to track every piece of moving plant on the wharf, including the location and speed of its straddles and sideloaders.
That would provide better traffic management, and information on who were the best drivers, and who needed training.
It would also give more information on where noise came from, as it would be possible to say who was doing what when a loud noise was made.
"That’s the beauty of it, so I can go and have a conversation with the worker."
Mr Winders said the recording equipment should be in place by the end of the month, and operational by the end of October.
The telemetry software should be in place by Christmas, but might take longer to become operational.
He said the port did receive complaints, as it was "a working port in the middle of a community".
It had a six-weekly noise and environment committee meeting, where community representatives gave feedback.
"They’re a really good mechanism to get feedback, but we’d like to know ourselves what we’re doing, then we can focus our efforts and try to solve those problems.
"We want to be a good neighbour, ultimately," he said.
