Fatigue, headaches, dizziness… Exposure to electromagnetic fields can have consequences on the health of the worker.

Since 2017, companies must protect their employees from the waves. Devices to prevent risks related to overexposure in the workplace.

How to determine these risks? What can be done to prevent overexposure?

Exposure to Electromagnetic Waves in the Workplace

The long-awaited European directive on electromagnetic waves came into force in France on 1 January 2017. This decree obliges company managers to protect their employees against the radiation of waves emitted by electronic devices in their establishments.

As with air conditioning or noise, the maximum level of exposure to electromagnetic waves is therefore regulated by the labor code.

In concrete terms, an employee’s exposure to electromagnetic fields must not exceed the following exposure limit values:

Risk assessment in business

Each company must have in place a risk assessment of its employees’ exposure to the airwaves:

This means that the employer must carry out an inventory of all sources of electromagnetic fields present in his establishment. The objective is to determine the risks of exposure of the personnel.

In order to check that the exposure levels do not exceed the reference levels, it is advisable that the employer calls on the services of an approved and accredited body. The latter will carry out a technical assessment including measurements and simulations of EMF (Electromagnetic Fields) within the premises.

The results obtained must be recorded in the company’s DUER. This document can be consulted by any employee who requests it. They must also be sent to the occupational physician and the health, safety and working conditions committee.

Means of prevention and anti-wave solutions

For workers exposed to airwaves, the employer shall provide all necessary information on the risks associated with airwaves as well as training related to the results of the assessment.  For each post at risk, an internal notice details the safety rules and instructions to be adopted. Specific signage indicates areas where radiation levels are high.

The most effective solution to reduce exposure in the workplace is to keep the source away from the workplace:

  By reorganizing your workstation or changing its layout, for example.

   By moving Wi-Fi hotspots

In some cases where removal is not feasible:

   Make power adjustments to adjust wave radiation levels.

   Replace work equipment with equipment emitting lower EMF levels.

How can we directly measure our exposure to electromagnetic waves?

An Inria research team at Sophia Antipolis has developed a smartphone application that allows us to precisely evaluate our exposure to waves and what the different sources are.

Free and easy to use, the, Electrosmart app can bedownloaded from Google Play

 How to reduce Wi-Fi waves without loss of internet speed?

Adjust the power of your Wi-Fi according to your needs

For those who work in a small structure, think of the Sybox which attenuates more than 90% of the waves!

By placing your internet box in the steel structure of the Sybox, the waves remain confined inside and the internet speed is unchanged. Find our explanations on our anti-waves solution here

Place your box inside the Sybox. Its steel structure confines the waves inside.

For employers and employees alike, protection from electromagnetic waves within the company is essential.

It’s a matter of improving our working conditions and safety for all of us.