Electromagnetic Fields at the Workplace
Legal implementation of EU Directive 2013/35/EU in Austria
The EU Directive 2013/35/EU, often simplified as the "Worker Protection Directive", was issued for the purpose of protecting the safety and health of workers from the risks arising from physical agents (electromagnetic fields) at the workplace. By July 1, 2016, the contents of this directive had to be transposed into the national law of the member states.
In Austria, the Ordinance on Electromagnetic Fields (VEMF) was issued for this purpose, which entered into force on August 1, 2016, and largely corresponds to the specifications in the underlying EU Directive. Some deviations from the Directive 2013/35/EU or points that have been specified more precisely in the VEMF are explained further under the following link.
>> Deviations of the VEMF from 2013/35/EU
Practical Implementation of EU Directive 2013/35/EU in Austria
The EU Directive 2013/35/EU concerns all workplaces and obliges employers to assess all workplaces with regard to the exposure of employees to electromagnetic fields at work and to avoid or reduce associated risks. Furthermore, employers are obliged to inform all employees who are exposed to risks from electromagnetic fields at work about the result of the risk assessment and other related details.
At first glance, the defined obligations for employers may appear to be associated with an extremely large amount of work, but as a rule, from a physical point of view, at most workplaces immissions significantly below the applicable limits are to be expected. For example, equipment and machines that are also accessible to the general public (e.g. tools that can be freely purchased in construction or specialist markets within the EU) can a priori be regarded as complying with the protection objectives of the directive, since much stricter limits apply to them on the basis of other directives.
Specific guidance on practical procedures is described in non-binding guides to Directive 2013/35/EU (General Guide (Volume 1), Assessment Examples (Volume 2), Short version for small and medium-sized enterprises). (General Guide (Volume 1), Assessment Examples (Volume 2), Short version for small and mediumsized enterprises). The exposure shall be determined under conditions of normal operation and shall be assessed by comparison with the applicable limit values.
Our Offer
- Workplace evaluation in accordance with EU Directive 2013/35/EU or VEMF
- Measurements of electromagnetic fields in the frequency range of DC - 40 GHz
- Exposure assessments (proof of compliance with the limit values for the protection of persons)
- Issuance of expert opinions
- Determination of sources of interference
- Determination of technical and organizational remedial measures
- Support with the entire formal process of workplace evaluation
- Training courses and seminars on the following topics at the Seibersdorf Academy or at your site:
- Effects of electromagnetic fields on humans
- Exposure determination and assessment
- Legal and normative framework with regard to human exposure to electromagnetic fields, including worker protection directive
- Training courses specially tailored to your needs and questions
Our employees are internationally recognized experts. More than 25 years of experience in the field, scientific leadership in a large number of national and international research projects on the subject of the effects of electromagnetic fields on humans, as well as more than 250 expert opinions on the assessment of exposure situations in practice, participation in standardization committees and advisory functions for ministries and authorities are our basis for offering you first-hand information and professional services at the highest level (see also Scientific Publications by our Employees).
If you are interested in our offer or for further information about our services, please contact us at: emf(at)seibersdorf-laboratories.at.