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Radiofrequency and Microwave Radiation |
| Standards |
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There are no specific standards for radiofrequency
and microwave radiation issues. However, this page highlights OSHA
standards, standard interpretations
(official interpretation of the standards), other federal standards and
national consensus standards relevant to radiofrequency and microwave
radiation. There are also national standards from Australia and Great
Britain.
OSHA
Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty
Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a
place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or
are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section
5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health
standards promulgated under this Act".
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Note: Twenty-four states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands have
OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and
enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are
identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards
applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies. |
Highlighted Standards:
General Industry (29 CFR
1910)
- 1910 Subpart
G, Occupational health and environmental control
- 1910.97,
Non-ionizing radiation. The exposure limit in this standard (10 mW/sq. cm.) is
expressed in voluntary language and has been ruled unenforceable for
Federal OSHA enforcement. The standard does specify the design of
an RF warning sign. Newer designs are also acceptable. (See standard
interpretations) [related topic
page]
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1910 Subpart J, General environmental controls
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1910 Subpart R, Special industries
Construction Industry (29 CFR
1926)
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1926 Subpart D, Occupational health and environmental controls
- 1926.54,
Non-ionizing radiation
- 1926.54(l),
Construction. Limits worker exposure to 10 mW/sq.cm. for construction work (including the painting of towers).
Standard Interpretations
Other
Federal
Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However,
they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to
worker protection, and may be referenced by OSHA inspectors for
informational purposes.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Standards
- Radio Frequency Safety.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to
evaluate the effect of emissions from FCC-regulated transmitters on the
quality of the human environment. At the present time there is no
federally-mandated radio frequency (RF) exposure standard.
- The FCC’s requirements dealing with RF exposure can be
found in Part 1 of its rules at 47 CFR Section 1.1307(b). The exposure
limits themselves are specified in 47 CFR Section 1.1310 in terms of
frequency, field strength, power density and averaging time.
Facilities and transmitters licensed and authorized by the FCC must
either comply with these guidelines or else an applicant must file an
Environmental Assessment (EA) with the FCC as specified in 47 CFR
Section 1.1301 et seq.
- Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), (2005,
January 6), 144 KB PDF,
7 pages. Describes a violation of FCC rules resulting in a
$10K fine. The case involves a worker climbing an FM broadcast tower.
National Consensus Standards
Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However,
they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to
worker protection, and may be referenced by OSHA inspectors for
informational purposes.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
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ANSI publishes consensus standards on RF exposures and measurements. The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES) sets safety
standards across frequencies 0 to 300 GHz. also the parent organization for the IEEE Committee on
Man and Radiation (COMAR) that publishes position papers on human
exposure to electromagnetic fields.
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C95.1, 1999 Edition,
IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to
Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz.
(Incorporates IEEE Std C95.1-1991 and IEEE Std C95.1a-1998)
- Amendment 1:
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Limits for Pinna is under consideration.
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C95.2-1999, IEEE Standard for Radio Frequency Energy and Current Flow Symbols
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C95.3-2002,
IEEE Recommended Practice for Measurements and Computations of Radio
Frequency Electromagnetic Fields With Respect to Human Exposure to Such
Fields, 100 kHz-300 GHz
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C95.4-2002, IEEE Recommended Practice for Determining Safe Distances
from Radio Frequency Transmitting Antennas When Using Electric Blasting
Caps During Explosive Operations
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C95.6-2002. IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields, 0-3 kHz. (2002) This standard
defines exposure levels to protect against adverse effects in humans
from exposure to electric and magnetic fields at frequencies from 0 to 3
kHz.
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A new draft standard, IEEE C95.7, IEEE Recommended Practice for Radio
Frequency Safety Programs, was approved in early 2004.
American Conference of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
(ICNIRP) Guidelines
Foreign National
Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However,
they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to
worker protection, and may be referenced by OSHA inspectors for
informational purposes.
Australian Radiation
Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency Standard (ARPANSA)
- Radiation Protection Standard - Maximum exposure levels to radiofrequency fields - 3kHz to 300GHz. Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency,
(2002, March 20), 2.1 MB PDF,
136 pages. The ARPANSA Standard is relevant to emissions from all devices that
produce and radiate RF electromagnetic energy (EME) fields either deliberately
of incidentally during their operation - this includes mobile phone handsets
and base stations as well as radio and television transmitters and industrial
sources.
British National Radiation Protection Board
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