Brussels, 15/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Updating and improving European legislation which aims to protect workers who are exposed to electromagnetic fields and waves as part of their everyday work: this was proposed by the Commission in Brussels on Tuesday 14 June. It is mainly doctors and nurses working with medical imagery and putting patients into scanners (MRI, magnetic resonance imaging) and people who work with radars, welders and workers who repair high-voltage cables who are exposed to this radiation. The proposal will now be put to the European Parliament (EP) and the Council for adoption. The EP and Council will set a new deadline for the transposition of the directive in the member states.
This new proposal is to replace the current directive (2004/40/EC) on minimum health and safety requirements for the exposure of workers to risks caused by physical agents (electromagnetic fields). It will make it possible to update the current upper limits for exposure in reference to the latest scientific information, particularly as regards the upper limits for exposure to MRI in hospitals. The aim of this proposal is to ensure a balance between protecting the health and safety of workers, whilst allowing appropriate levels of flexibility and proportionality in order not to prevent the use and development of industrial and medical activities to an excessive extent.
What does the directive cover? It clarifies the definitions on harmful effects on health, brings in new upper limits for exposure (frequencies recognised as having harmful effects on the human cardiovascular system and the central nervous system), and a number of clauses aiming to make life easier for employers when a risk assessment is required by law. Exposed workers or their representatives must receive the information and training required from their employer, particularly as regards the results of the risk assessment, measures taken by the employer, safe professional practices, detecting harmful effects and conditions under which employers are entitled to health monitoring.
To take the example of a worker who repairs high-voltage cables, the proposal will require the employer to carry out an assessment of the risks of exposure to the electromagnetic fields and measures to reduce these risks. (G. B./transl.fl)