Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) can be found almost everywhere and may cause harm to employees if they are exposed to EMFs. EMF regulations in the UK outline the ways your organisation can protect its employees from being exposed to EMFs, from training through to risk assessments.
The main EMF regulation in the UK is ‘The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016’ (CEMFAW). This legislation came into force on July 1, 2016 and was in line with what was already in place relating to good design and management control. Employers in the telecommunication, media or broadcast industries and other organisations such as the health and emergency services, armed forces or the contracting supply chain that support these organisations already had management systems in place. With equipment such as radar and radio transmitters common in these industries, EMF regulations are essential to comply with.
At Praxis42, we offer an EMF and RF Awareness training course that is IOSH approved and developed by trained professionals in EMF and RF matters for those who come into contact with EMFs on a daily basis.
What are EMF Regulations UK 2016?
According to the Regulatory Policy Committee, the CEMFAW regulations outline the minimum health and safety requirements that UK employers must follow to protect their employees from the risks posed by exposure to EMFs.
Organisations such as Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offer guidance on the EMF regulations in the UK, as they can help with:
- Identifying where EMFs originate from in your workplace.
- Assessing how much exposure there is.
- Deciding what course of action is best if employees need protection.
- Controlling the risks posed by EMFs.
- When exemptions to the CEMFAW rules are required (for example, in military matters).
These requirements are additions to the already existing health and safety measures your organisation must follow according to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
What are EMFs?
HSE report that EMFs are produced when electrical equipment is used. These EMFs can come from electrical equipment, ranging from TVs to mobiles to radio transmitters. EMFs range from static electric frequencies to electromagnetic radio waves that can reach up to 300GHz. Different electrical equipment can be classified under different frequency fields.
EMFs can take many forms and are common across many industries. Your organisation should prioritise protecting your employees from exposure to EMFs.
Where else will EMF Regulations UK be needed?
Those that may not be up to speed might include manufacturing organisations that use high powered equipment which emits Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) or Radio Frequencies (RF), such as during plastic welding. Landlords and employers, for example, need to control maintenance or surveying workers site visits where equipment emits EMF or RF from rooftop installations or when safety exclusion zones are accidentally entered.
The EMF Regulations UK follow a familiar format:
- Assessment of risk – five steps approach.
- Consultation and participation of employees in the assessment process.
- Determination of exposure against Exposure Limit Values (ELVs) & Action Levels (ALs).
- A hierarchy of controls depends on the findings from the assessment.
- Employee information and training.
- Health surveillance.
The challenges of EMF Regulations UK
The main challenge or focus is on employees at particular risk, which will include those:
- Wearing active implanted medical devices.
- Employees with passive implanted medical devices such as artificial joints, metallic plates, pins or shrapnel, and body piercings.
- Employees with medical devices worn on the body, such as hormone infusion pumps.
- Pregnant employees.
Employees in these categories may be at greater risk from EMF and RF than the general working population and should, therefore, be subject to a specific risk assessment. In considering whether employees may be at particular risk, employers should consider the frequency, level and duration of exposure. Employers need to find out if they have at-risk employees in their workforce, which means that training, awareness, communication and information gathering will be an essential element of a compliance risk management approach.
In addition, there might be a bit of head-scratching about undertaking health surveillance as part of the risk assessment process when it’s accepted that it’s pretty difficult to measure any long term chronic health effects from EMF and RF exposure. In comparison, health assessments following any suspected acute exposure will, of course, form part of the employer’s risk management review process.
Finally, one area that will need close attention will be the consultation and participation of employees in the risk assessment process and the requirement to provide workers with information and training.
Is there EMF Regulations UK training available?
To help employers, an IOSH Approved EMF & RF online training course is available at Praxis42. Recently updated, these courses have been used over a number of years to support the management of EMF and RF risks.
Some of the benefits of EMF training include:
- Increasing employee awareness about the risks of EMF exposure.
- Ensuring your organisation is compliant with the current UK EMF regulations.
- Enables your organisation to approach EMF hazards appropriately.
Our EMF and RF Online Training Course aims to develop an awareness of the risks of exposure to EMFs. Our training is IOSH approved and compliant with the latest EMF regulations set out in the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016.
