Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: BURNS

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to the employee in that employees were exposed to a radio frequency radiation shock and burn hazard: A) For the employee who performed the spark gap brazing operation and who was found to be exposed to root mean square (rms) Radios Frequency (RF) body current in excess of the recommended safe level as set forth in IEEE-C 95.1-1991 - IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with respect to Human Exposure to Radio. Frequency electromagnetic fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz. On 5/20/94 levels in excess of 999 milliamps (mA) (as averaged over any one (1) second) were found for one (1) brazer as measured through one (1) foot during these brazing operations. The maximum permissible exposure for controlled environments as stated in IEEE-C95.1 - 1991 Table 1, Part B Induced and Contact Radio Frequency Currents is 100 mA of current through each foot for the .1 - 100 mHz frequency range. Violation observed on 5/20/94 Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is: a)Effectively isolate the worker from the coil of the machine by distance to a safe demarcated areas. b)Increase the manpower who perform the job so that one employee can set-up and one employee could operate the foot treadle remotely thereby decreasing exposure. c)Have the operators stand/and or sit on plywood insulators on the floor thereby reducing the induced current to ground. d)Train employees about the radio frequency radiation hazard to insure that safe work practices and procedures are utilized.