Course 5021: RF Safety Training

Radiofrequency (RF) and microwave (MW) radiation are electromagnetic radiation in the frequency ranges 3 kilohertz (kHz) - 300 Megahertz (MHz), and 300 MHz - 300 gigahertz (GHz), respectively.

Electric and magnetic fields are complex physical agents whose potential health effects are the subject of much research. Particularly controversial are the biophysical mechanisms by which these RF fields may affect biological systems. General health effects reviews explore possible carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects.  Health effects by exposure source are noted in radar traffic devices, wireless communications with cellular phones, radio transmission, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

RF exposures are directly linked to absorption and distribution of RF energy in the body, and the absorption and distribution are strongly dependent on body size and orientation and on frequency and polarization of the incident radiation. A common measure of exposure is the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), the rate of energy absorption in tissue, measured in watts per kilogram of tissue.

The FCC requires that all wireless and RF generating sites be fully compliant with its RF/NEPA rules! Environmental rules for evaluating the potential for human exposure to RF are complex.  Assessing the cumulative RF levels at multiple emitter collocation sites creates an even greater challenge.  Then, there is OSHA!

RF Safety Training covers the theory and practical aspects of identification and prevention of all possible biological effects of exposure to RF/MW radiation from radios, cellular phones, communications transmitters, radar transmitters and more.

In our increasingly complex RF world of cell towers, rooftop antennas, in-building antennas and other sources of RF energy, RF Safety Training is essential to any professional who might be engaged in activities near antennas and wireless equipments. This course can be customized or combined to meet specific system requirements.

 Anyone attending this course will be issued a completion certificate and card complying with OSHA reporting requirements in 29 CFR1910.268.  

• Understand safety and health programs
• List Radiofrequency and microwave safety programs
• Identify regulations and RF standards
• Understand  RF Exposure Guidelines and RF Compliance Guidelines
• Understand FCC and OSHA regulations
• Understand radiation and field effect
• Understand RF site safety
• Perform hazard assessment
• Understand Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) at RF sites  
• Perform Lock-out Tag out procedures and personal protective equipment
• Explore protective equipment Use including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head

Radio-frequency (RF) Energy

• Waves through the Air
• RF Safety Terms   
• Safety of RF Energy
• RF Energy Exposure

RF Safety Standards and Guidelines

• RF Safety Regulatory Brief   
• What are the health effects of radiofrequency and microwave exposure?
• Health Effects
• What standards apply?
• General Health Effects Reviews
• Health Effects by Exposure Source
• Where do radiofrequency and microwave hazards occur and what are possible solutions?
• How do you evaluate radiofrequency and microwave exposures?
• Products Compliance with International Safety
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
  • National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP)
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration - OSHA
  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) limits for field strength and power density for Transmitters Operating at Frequencies of 300 kHz to 100 GHz
• Standard Interpretations
  • Who Sets Exposure Standards and Guidelines?
  • How Are These Standards and Guidelines Determined?
  • How Are These Standards and Guidelines Applied?
• RF safety signs 
• RF Fields (for both FCC and Canadian Regulations)
• RF Burns
• Tower Registration

The biological effects of RF energy

• Ionizing versus non-ionizing
• The FCC's Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) standards
• OSHA and industry standards
• Documentation of compliance
• Methods of achieving compliance
• Periodic review and site modification requirements
• RF Personal Monitor Use
• Wireless Devices
• Mobile Phones
• Base Stations
• Two-way Radios
• RF Emitting Devices 
• Broadband Wireless Access
• Cellular Systems
• Mobile (vehicle-mounted) antennas 
• Vehicle-mounted antennas 
• Hand-held cellular telephones and PCS devices 

RF Site Safety and the Law

• Type of RF Radiation
• Introduction to Antennas and RF sources
• Maximum Permissible Exposure - MPE
• How to begin Hazard assessment
• Available Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) Levels
• RF Exposure Levels
• RF Environmental Evaluation
• Peak-Envelope-Power (PEP)
• Input to the Antenna
• Exceeding the Limits
• Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
• FCC Implementation of NEPA 
• FCC Guidelines for Evaluating Exposure to RF Emissions 
• Mobile and Portable Devices

• RF Exposure Limits
• RF Energy Measurements
• Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
• Antenna Basics   
• Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE Math   
• Health Considerations   
• RF Signage   
• RF Site Compliance   
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Specific absorption rate (SAR) limits 
• Far-field calculations
• Radio RF Safety Calculator
• Calculate Radio Frequency Power Density
• The average power at the antenna:
• Ground Reflection Effects
• The power-density and field-strength formulas 
• Occupational/controlled exposures ("Con")
• General-population/uncontrolled exposures ("Unc")
• Distance from antenna (feet)
• Frequency Gain 
• Estimated distances (in feet) to meet RF power density guidelines
• Height above ground where exposure occurs (feet)
• MPE requirements for radiated electric fields, magnetic fields and power density 
• Exposure "Environments"
• Categorical Exclusions
• Comply with the MPE limits, regardless of power
• TONEX RF Exposure Guidelines and RF Compliance Guidelines

Controlling Exposure to RF Fields                        

• Public Exposure: Compliance with General Population/Uncontrolled
• MPE Limits                                                     
• Occupational Exposure: Compliance with Occupational/Controlled
• MPE Limits

Prediction methods

• Equations for Predicting RF Fields                                       
• Relative Gain and Main-Beam Calculations                                
• Aperture Antennas                                                     
• Special Antenna Models                                                
• Multiple-Transmitter Sites and Complex Environments                      
• Evaluating Mobile and Portable Devices                                   

Measuring RF Fields                                         

• Instrumentation                                                       
• Field Measurements