Directive 2013/35/EU: Occupational Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields
Directive 2013/35/EU of the European Parliament and the of Council of 26 June 2013, also known as the EMF Directive, defines the minimum health and safety requirements for protecting workers from exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The directive encompasses all known biophysical effects and other effects caused by electromagnetic fields, focusing on the short-term effects of excessive electromagnetic radiation on employees. Directive 2013/35/EU details requirements for worker information and training, maintaining formal exposure and risk assessments, health surveillance and more. The directive covers a frequency range of 0 Hz – 300 GHz and is applicable to all occupational sectors; its exposure limit values and action levels are identical to, respectively, ICNIRP 2010 and ICNIRP 2009.
The directive covers two general levels of EMF exposure: sensory effects and health effects.
First Level: Sensory Effects
0 Hz – 10 MHz
At this lower level of exposure, workers experience transient issues with their senses and minor fluctuations in brain functions. One common side effect is magnetophosphenes, flashes of light that impair the person’s vision. The directive’s safety margins are such that workers should never experience these side effects, which are the byproduct of electromagnetic energy interfering with the central nervous system. The directive defines limits for these symptoms called Sensory Effects Exposure Level Values (ELVs).
Second Level: Health Effects
100 kHz – 300 GHz
The second, higher level of exposure directly threatens the health of personnel in the area by damaging their body and peripheral nervous system. This manifests as thermal heating that stimulates nerve and muscle tissue. The directive establishes limits for these symptoms called Health Effects ELVs.
To avoid workers being exposed to either level of radiation, the standard calls for action levels (ALs) to be adhered to,
