BINDT update: Electromagnetic Fields Directive 2013/35/EU – A guidance report for NDT equipment commonly used
17/12/2020
In addition to previous articles published in NDT News highlighting the requirement for industry to carry out magnetic particle testing in accordance with the Electromagnetic Fields Directive 2013/35/EU, the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT)’s EMF Working Group (WG) is now able to provide members of industry with further guidance on those electromagnetic fields generated when using magnetic particle testing equipment.Dr Richard Findlay, Managing Director at EMFcomp Limited, was asked by BINDT to review the current situation relating to the practice of non-destructive testing (NDT) and related quality testing activities with regard to the current electromagnetic field (EMF) safety regulations.
EMFcomp carried out EMF surveys in various fields, which included industrial, medical, automotive, energy generation and distribution, research and building sectors. It co-wrote the European Commission’s Guide on EMF Safety: ‘The Practical Guide to the EMF Directive’, which forms the basis for assessing compliance with EMF legislation: ‘The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016’ (CEMFAW). When asked by BINDT, the company accepted the call to assist the WG by producing the guidance report referenced herein for NDT equipment commonly used when carrying out NDT inspections using magnetic particle testing equipment.
The objective of the report is to provide recommendations to ensure the health, safety and welfare of an employer’s workforce, customers and members of the public whilst in the vicinity of any magnetic particle testing equipment in use. The report provides guidance on how to reduce EMF exposure by minimising the incidence and severity of the electromagnetic field through revised working practices and risk-based assessment.
Previous NDT News articles provided guidance for determining measured action levels (ALs) and mathematically modelled exposure limit values (ELVs) used when determining compliance with the EU Directive. EMFcomp’s report now provides detailed insight into the measurement process after determining measured ALs for several magnetic particle testing scenarios. Where the testing scenarios highlighted within EMFcomp’s report exceed allowable EU Directive ALs, then the report provides additional guidance on such things as shielding, distance and revised working practices available to the employer, prior to discharging the mathematical modelling process in determination of allowable ELVs.
The report can be found here.
