The table in this Appendix lists some common work activities, equipment and workplaces, and provides an indication of whether assessments are likely to be required for:

• people with active implants
• people with passive implants
• employees not at particular risk

The entries in this table are based on whether a situation is likely to give rise to field strengths in excess of either the action levels the exposure limit values and if so, whether those fields are likely to be highly localised or not.

The table is based on the use of equipment conforming to recent standards that has been correctly maintained and is being used as intended by the manufacturer. Where work involves the use of very old, non-standard or poorly maintained equipment, the guidance in the table may not be applicable.

Where every activity in a workplace has a ‘no’ in all three columns, it should not be necessary to carry out a specific assessment as there is expected to be no risk from static magnetic fields. In these situations, further actions will not normally by required. Similarly, for workplaces where there is no access for those reliant on active medical devices or who have passive implants, provided every activity has a ‘no’ in column 1, it should not be necessary to carry out a specific EMF assessment.

Matters to be considered in an EMF-specific risk assessment

There is a requirement under regulation 8 of the Control of EMF at Work Regulations 2016 to assess risks arising from work with static magnetic fields.

This Appendix is a modification of that found in the Control of EMF at Work Regulations, 2016, to address static magnetic fields.

These risk assessments are not necessary where:

• the most recent exposure assessment shows that exposures are compliant with the exposure limit values;
• the indirect effects action levels are not exceeded; or
• there are no employees at particular risk

In carrying out a risk assessment, the employer is required to consider both indirect effects and employees at particular risk. Indirect effects are those caused by the presence of an object or substance in the field and include:

• interference with active implanted medical devices
• attraction and projectile risk in fringe field of high field strength sources (>100 mT)

Employees at particular risk are defined as:

• those employees who have declared to their employer a condition that may lead to a higher susceptibility to the potential effects of exposure to strong static magnetic fields

In the context of static magnetic fields employees who are likely to have a higher susceptibility to the potential effects of exposure to static magnetic fields are:

• those fitted with active medical implants (such as cardiac pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, and neurostimulators)
• those fitted with passive medical implants (essentially any metallic implant including a variety of artificial joints, pins, plates, screws and contraceptive implants)
• those wearing body-worn medical devices (such as insulin infusion pumps)

By definition, employees at particular risk may not be adequately protected by the exposure limit values. In general, these employees will be adequately protected by compliance with the action level for interference with active implanted medical devices. In some cases, it may be possible to exceed this action level without risk, but this would generally have to be determined on a case by case basis.

Where relevant, a risk assessment must include consideration of:

• the action levels and exposure limit values
• the frequency, level, duration and type of exposure, including the distribution over the employee’s body and the variations between areas in the workplace
• direct biophysical effects
• existence of replacement equipment designed to reduce the level of exposure to electromagnetic fields
• appropriate information obtained from health surveillance
• information provided by the manufacturer of relevant equipment
• other health and safety related information
• multiple sources of exposure
• simultaneous exposure to multiple frequency fields

Where a risk assessment is required, the employer must keep a written record of the most recent assessment.