Competence in EMF Assessments
The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016( CEMFAW) place responsibilities on all employers to perform an Electromagnetic Field( EMF) risk assessment but make no reference to the assessor ' s competence. Employers are instead directed to a guide of workplaces and equipment that have already been assessed( references below) on the assumption that, in the majority of cases, no further assessment will be required.
In most circumstances this is the case. However, if you have a worker who is at particular risk( WaPR), such as a pregnant worker or person with active or passive medical devices, a more detailed assessment is required. For example, in the case of someone with a pacemaker who is issued with a mobile phone for work, the guide tells you he or she needs to be advised to keep the phone away from the chest. The employee may already know this, but the employer needs to close the loop and make a record that it ' s been covered.
electrical circuits > 100 A, dielectric heating and welding, magnetic particle inspection, medical diathermy etc. Here there is a need for a more detailed assessment for all workers, not just those at particular risk.
If equipment checks need to be made on a regular basis, such as in a test lab where the exposure environment changes, you can either build up capability in-house or use an external service. Many scenarios requiring measurement are straightforward, and measured values generally fall well inside the Action Levels( ALs) defined in CEMFAW.
If you have a situation where you can ' t prove compliance with the Action Levels( ALs), you may find another a way to get round this, such as remote operation. In an extreme case where even proving compliance with the Exposure Limit Values( ELVs) defined in CEMFAW is difficult, it ' s possible to apply for an exemption. In this situation an employer will almost certainly require expert help.
The same applies to power tools, etc. In theory the employer should be able to obtain the relevant EMF safety information from the equipment manufacturer but if not, it may be necessary to perform a more detailed assessment involving measurements.
There are some pieces of equipment where field strengths are known to be relatively high e. g. resistance welding, induction heating,
A general assessment around welding equipment
Identifying EMF sources and assessment is just part of the process; if you have staff who may be exposed above general public levels you probably need an EMF safety policy.
32 Radiation Protection Today www. srp-rpt. uk