The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

PART 1 INTRODUCTION

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 and shall come into operation on 1st August 2016.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“AL” means an action level set out in Parts 2 and 3 of Schedule 1;

“designated area” means any area designated by Order under section 1(7) of the Continental Shelf Act 1964(1) and “within a designated area” includes over and under it;

“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 Schedule 1;

“employee at particular risk” means—

(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

(b)

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

“the Executive” means the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland;

“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; and

“territorial sea” means the territorial sea of the United Kingdom adjacent to Northern Ireland and “within the territorial sea” includes on, over and under it.

(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.

Application

3.  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.

(1)

1964 c. 29; section 1 was amended by the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (1982 c. 23), Schedule 3, paragraph 1 and by the Energy Act 2011 (c. 16), section 103