The most common exposure sources of EMF in industry

Electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) are all around us and are and unavoidable part of modern life. In fact, some sources are even naturally occurring! The energy levels contained in most waves that pass through your body are so small as to be completely insignificant. There simply isn’t enough energy to interact with anything.

This can change considerably in the workplace, which is why we now have the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work (CEMFAW) Regulations 2016, which is designed to make employers carry out risk assessments to determine if there is a risk to health from any specific activities carried out by the company.

Whilst all companies will have sources of EMF’s it is only those with large enough fields or certain sensitive people that will normally be of concern. Here are some common examples of workplace exposures or situations that can require monitoring and control.

• Implanted Medical Devices
• Welding
• HT Power Supply
• Communications Equipment
• Medical Scanners

Implanted Medical Devices

The one issue that can affect almost any business is the increase in people with implanted medical devices (IMD’s). The advances in technology have meant that huge numbers of people can benefit from the life-changing benefits of this equipment. The same technological improvements have also meant that many of these items are becoming more and more sensitive to external influences from electromagnetic fields.

There are many stories around of IMD’s being triggered falsely by things like toilet hand-dryers or electric drills. This means that even though most EMFs are not at high enough levels to cause ill health in most people, consideration must be given to those wearing IMD’s. You should know who these people are and then contact the device manufacturers to find out if there are triggering conditions that you should know about.

You should normally be able to control the risk for this category of person by labelling potentially triggering equipment and making sure that their work does not involve being near such sources. If you are unsure of what to do, then contact a professional who will be able to help. Castle Consultancy experts are on hand should you need to ask for help.

Welding

The use of ARC welding in industry is widespread and is a significant source of electromagnetic radiation. The good news is that there has been quite a lot of monitoring, so we generally know what the levels are, and we also know how to introduce controls to mitigate the exposure.

The main issues with welding machines are the power input and the cable that delivers the current to the welding rod. The number one control measure for this process is to ensure that the cables are always routed away from the operator.

It is even more important to know whether people are wearing implanted medical devices (IMD’s) as these can be triggered event if the welding equipment is set up with the power directed away from the operator.

Following best practice and risk assessing for people with implanted medical devices may well be enough to comply with the regulations, but if you are unsure, then contact Castle and ask for advice.

HT Power Supply

Some industrial equipment requires huge currents to operate, and this often means the use of hight Tension (HT) power supplies. These supply lines can generate significant EMF’s so care should be taken to ensure that people are not able to get too close to the cables. This is often achieved with simple routing and guarding just to maintain the separation.

Don’t forget that EMF’s decay very rapidly with distance, so putting a couple of metres between the source and the employee can often be enough. if you are at all concerned about this, then please contact us to help you determine the best solution in your environment.

As this type of equipment will probably involve a custom installation, it is unlikely there are many examples to draw upon. It could be that you will need to get some measurements for this type of application. Bringing in outside help is likely to be the best solution in this case.

Communications Equipment

There is still no evidence that using a mobile phone has any detrimental effect on human health. As we have had these devices for several decades, then the likelihood of finding such evidence is probably getting less and less.

Mobile phones only work at low energy levels, which is probably why there is seemingly no issue. This is not true of all communication equipment and there are certainly industries in which extreme care should be taken when accessing masts or dishes that operate a high-power level.

If you have such equipment on the roof of your building, then you should engage specialist help to carry out maintenance or even to access the areas close to the source.

Medical Scanners

MRI scanners use high intensity magnets to generate huge magnetic fields as well as radio waves, that can be used to generate high quality images of the inside of the body. If you are a patient, then the exposure will usually be brief, and you will be in the part of the machine designed for the purpose. The radiographers operating the machinery will have to be more careful to be out of the way during the operation of these fields.

Walking through a high-intensity magnetic field can cause disorientation and dizziness, unless you move really slowly, so this is one way in which staff are trained in case of the need to be in the same space.

As the exposure from this type of equipment is well known, you should be able to find plenty of advice from the manufacturer of the equipment or other placed that use them. It is unlikely that you will need your own measurements unless the installation is particular to your organisation of if you are doing something special with the equipment.

Conclusion

While the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work (CEMFAW) Regulations 2016 require all companies to conduct risk assessments for exposure to electromagnetic waves, there are many companies where the sources are simply not strong enough to be of concern. The exception to this is to consider people wearing Implanted Medical Devices (IMD’s)

There are some common activities that will require investigation and possibly monitoring and there are other applications not mentioned in this article that may lead to high levels of exposure, so you should always check the risks in your organisation.

If you are in doubt about the risks in your organisation or what you can do about them, then contact Castle Consultancy, where there will be someone ready to find you the help you need.