Electromagnetic fields in the working environment
"Health and safety risks arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields in the workplace. This directive must be implemented in national legislation no later than 30 April 2008. To prepare for implementation, RIVM has, on commission of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, investigate...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Institution: | ETUI-European Trade Union Institute |
| Format: | TEXT |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Den Haag
2006
SZW |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19292760124910109429-electromagnetic-fields-in-the-.htm |
| Summary: | "Health and safety risks arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields in the workplace. This directive must be implemented in national legislation no later than 30 April 2008. To prepare for implementation, RIVM has, on commission of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, investigated and analysed exposure in Dutch working environments.
The purpose of this report is to provide assistance to employers to assess whether compliance is being met and to carry out the inventory and evaluation of risks (RI&E) due to electromagnetic fields. Until harmonised European standards from CENELEC cover all relevant assessment, measurement and calculation situations, this report may serve as a guide. It is not mandatory to use this report. It will be sufficient for most of the employers to confine themselves to the first two chapters.
Subsequent chapters deal with the exposure found in several working environments and provide guidelines for assessing risks and possible measures in these working environments. Costs for implementing the directive are discussed in the last chapter.
CENELEC standards, if available, are mandatory for assessing whether exposure occurs below the limits in the directive. However, these standards are not easy to use without specialist knowledge. Furthermore, not all equipment needs to be assessed to the same extent nor are the same measures needed. A flow chart and tables of relevant working environments, classified into three categories, are provided to facilitate the assessment. Each category has its own assessment path.
No measures are needed for category I, while for category IIa working environments, only brief instructions are needed, e.g. keeping one’s distance. For category IIb, such technical measures as shielding the radiation source, installing a fence or hanging up warning signs are needed. Category III contains all the working environments where great efforts (e.g. factory reorganisation) will be needed to combat exposure. In categories II and III the workers need to be informed about their own situation and measures with respect to exposure. Workers at particular risk, such as workers with implanted medical devices and pregnant women, will be given special attention.
Equipment found in working environments falling into category IIb includes dielectric and inductive heaters, bus bars, arc welding equipment and equipment for short wave and microwave diathermy and electrosurgery. Category III contains large rectifiers, small induction furnaces, semi-automated spot and induction welding machines, intervention activities using MRI scanners, large broadcasting antennas, and activities such as troubleshooting situations confronting electricians.
In several of these working environments measures have been taken. The costs of implementation of the directive are divided into administrative burdens and costs of measures. The administrative burdens consist of assessment costs including measurement and calculation, and the cost of informing the workers. The administrative burdens in the first two years amount to an estimated €8 million per year and afterwards to an estimated €4 million per year. The estimates of the costs of measures vary from some €2 to €5 million per year. These estimates are uncertain due to the large variety of possible measures and the uncertainty in the number of companies." |
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| Physical Description: | 171 p. Paper Digital |