niveauwaarde

Niveauwaarde is a Dutch term used in technical, regulatory, and scientific contexts to denote a numeric reference value that defines a level on a measurement scale. It functions as a threshold or benchmark used in assessment, reporting, and decision making. The precise interpretation of a niveauwaarde depends on the field and the governing regulation, but it generally indicates a value above or below which a condition is considered acceptable, risky, or needing action.

In practice, niveauwaarde can appear in environmental monitoring, occupational safety, acoustics, radiation, and chemical regulation. It is often used to categorize data, guide compliance checks, or determine follow-up steps. For example, an indoor air quality guideline might set a niveauwaarde for a pollutant concentration, serving as an operational target for building management. In noise regulation, a niveauwaarde can mark the level at which mitigation is required.

Niveauwaarde is related to, but distinct from, other regulatory terms such as normwaarde (standard value), grenswaarde (limit value), and referentiewaarde (reference value). While grenswaarden and normwaarden often carry statutory obligations, niveauwaarden are frequently used as practical, policy-relevant levels within those frameworks, sometimes as interim targets or risk-based levels defined in guidelines rather than law.

In practice, the exact meaning is context-specific; consult the relevant regulation or standard to determine how a particular niveauwaarde is defined and applied.