Introduction to RF Radiation Safety / 10 / 10.7 / 10.7.8

10.7.8 Selecting The Most Appropriate Controls

The most appropriate controls depend on the installation, potential exposure, work activity, control reliability, and reasonably foreseeable abnormal conditions.

The highest reasonably practicable control should be selected, with lower-order measures used to manage residual risk and provide additional protection.

Warning signs or personal monitors should not be used in place of a practicable barrier, interlock, shielding, antenna relocation, or isolation arrangement that can prevent exposure.

The final combination must keep exposure within the applicable limits, minimize risk so far as reasonably practicable, and be practical to implement, verify, maintain, and review.

10.7.9 Summary

The hierarchy of controls gives priority to eliminating the RF hazard or exposure scenario, then to substitution and engineering controls. Administrative controls, personal RF monitors, and other PPE provide additional layers but depend increasingly on human action. Effective RF safety programs combine controls where necessary, document the conditions on which they rely, and verify that they continue to protect workers and the public.