10.5 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
Hazard identification is the first operational step in managing RF radiation safety. Before risk can be assessed or controls selected, the organization must identify RF sources, where exposure may occur, who may be exposed, and the direct, indirect, and secondary hazards associated with the installation and work. The process should be undertaken in consultation with affected workers.
Unlike many workplace hazards, RF radiation is invisible and cannot normally be detected by human senses. Personnel working near transmitting equipment may therefore be unaware that significant RF fields are present. For this reason, hazard identification cannot rely upon casual observation or worker experience alone. It requires a systematic examination of the RF installation, its operating characteristics, and the tasks performed within the workplace.
RPS S-1 requires duty holders to identify and manage hazards associated with RF fields and RF-generating plant. Hazard identification should include the primary RF sources, sources of reradiation, conductive objects on which currents may be induced, foreseeable work and access scenarios, and any conditions that could produce shocks, sparks, or burns.
10.5.1 Identifying RF Sources
The first step is to identify every source capable of producing significant RF electromagnetic fields.
Obvious examples include broadcasting transmitters, cellular base stations, radar systems, satellite earth stations, microwave links, industrial RF heaters, medical equipment, and scientific RF generators. However, smaller transmitters, portable radios, wireless devices, test equipment, and temporary transmitters should also be considered where they have the potential to contribute to occupational exposure.
For each RF source, it is useful to record information such as:
- equipment identification;
- operating frequency or frequencies;
- maximum output and transmitted power under defined operating conditions;
- antenna type and gain;
- antenna location and orientation;
- operating duty cycle, traffic loading, or scanning pattern;
- normal operating schedule; and
- ownership or operational responsibility.
This inventory provides the basis for exposure assessment, simultaneous-source summation, and subsequent risk-management decisions.