PART 1INTRODUCTION

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016 and come into force on 1st July 2016.

Interpretation2

1

In these Regulations—

  • “the 1974 Act” means the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974;

  • “AL” means an action level set out in Parts 2 and 3 of the Schedule;

  • “direct biophysical effect” means an effect on human body tissue caused by its presence in an electromagnetic field;

  • “electromagnetic field” means a static electric, static magnetic and time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic field with a frequency of up to 300 GHz;

  • ELV” means an exposure limit value set out in Part 2 of the Schedule;

  • “employee at particular risk” means—

    1. a

      an employee who has declared to his or her employer a condition which may lead to a higher susceptibility to the potential effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields; or

    2. b

      an employee who works in close proximity to electro-explosive devices, explosive materials or flammable atmospheres;

  • “health effect” means a direct biophysical effect which is potentially harmful to human health;

  • “indirect effect” means an effect, caused by the presence of an object or a substance in an electromagnetic field, which may present a safety or health hazard;

  • “sensory effect” means a direct biophysical effect involving a transient disturbance in sensory perception or a minor and temporary change in brain function.

2

In these Regulations a reference to employees is, in relation to an employer, to be treated as a reference to the employees of that employer while they are at work.

Application3

These Regulations do not apply to the master or crew of a ship or to the employer of such persons in respect of the normal shipboard activities of a ship’s crew which are carried out solely by the crew under the direction of the master, and for the purposes of this regulation “ship” includes every description of vessel used in navigation, other than a ship forming part of Her Majesty’s Navy.