The wireless industry is failing to address increasingly common instances of roofers, plumbers, electricians, heating and air technicians, and other maintenance workers who are exposed to radio frequency (RF) emissions higher than permitted by the FCC, an RF safety expert said today.
“We have a lot more people exposed now above the FCC’s exposure limits than we did when we got started,” said Robert Curtis, chief scientist and executive vice president-federal compliance of RF Check, Inc., a radiation safety and compliance company. “These antennas have been proliferating everywhere.”
Not only has the industry added tens of thousands of more antennas as it has grown, but it has put them in places where workers are more likely to come in contact with them - such as on top of buildings, light fixtures, churches, and schools, Mr. Curtis said at a Washington luncheon sponsored by the Federal Communications Bar Association’s enforcement and international telecommunications committees.
Mr. Curtis, a former national RF safety technical expert for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), said he has discussed the problem with all of the major wireless carriers. “Many of these [carriers’] safety and health people have come from the OSHA perspective, which is, ‘You know, we take care of our own employees, and if everybody else would take care of their own employees, we wouldn’t have any problem,’” he said. “But that’s not the FCC requirement. The FCC requirement says if you’re a licensee, you can’t expose other people.” He said local governments could also be liable under the RF safety rules.
Mr. Curtis said there’s a need to work with all stakeholders - including building owners and other carriers - to address the issue. “The solution is pretty complicated,” he said. “It’s quite expensive.”
Mr. Curtis also said that many in the wireless industry are not aware that the standard used to determine whether exposure to higher-than-permitted RF emissions has caused ill health effects involves behavioral effects. He cited a decision by the Alaska Supreme Court last summer that awarded 100% disability to an AT&T, Inc., worker for being exposed to RF emissions only 10% over the limit. The worker suffered from mood disorders, depression, and reduced brain function.
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Industry Failing To Address Exposure To Workers Near Antennas
Source: Wolters Kluwer
