Integrating electromagnetic radiation hazard info the unique occupational risk assessment document

The number of industrial applications involving electromagnetic waves has significantly increased in recent years. These applications are likely to expose operators to electromagnetic fields exceeding the limits laid down by European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/40/CE of 29 April 2004. A survey has identified the equipment emitting the most radiation and this has been classified into 8 families: resistance welding, magnetization, induction heating, magneto-scopy, dielectric loss welding, electrolysis, magnetic resonance imagery, microwaves. The equipment numbers per family was estimated by a market surveys, which specifically identified several tens of thousands of resistance welding- or magnetization-type machines. This survey enabled us to deduce that at least 100,000 operators in France would be at risk of exposure to electromagnetic fields. An assessment of exposure levels for operators at their workstations was undertaken for each equipment family. A group comprising specialists from INRS and the 9 CARSAT/CRAM Physical Measurement Centres measured electromagnetic fields at 635 workstations fitted with radiation emitting machinery. For each measurement, a severity index corresponding to the ratio of the measured value to the action-triggering value (ATV) recommended by European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/40/CE of 29 April 2004 was calculated. The results show that, for 7 equipment families out of the 8 retained, 25 - 50% of measurements gave electromagnetic field values exceeding the corresponding ATV. These results demonstrate the need for prevention means. In most cases, exposure reduction is achieved by moving the workstation away from the radiation source. Technical solutions do exist for certain equipments, such as shielding for microwave ovens and high-frequency presses, a grounding pad for tarpaulin welding, etc. (authors)