Consultation outcome

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on Merchant and Fishing Vessels

This consultation has concluded

Detail of outcome

Since the Regulations are designed to ensure the same level of safety in respect of seafarers’ exposure to EMF as applies to workers ashore, the guidance has also been updated to reflect HSE’s guidance on EMFs, now available on the HSE website.

The regulations and supporting guidance have been published.

Detail of feedback received

There were seven responses to this consultation, the majority of which were, nil returns.

Only one response included substantive comments on the draft guidance supporting the regulations. These have been taken into account in preparing the final guidance.

Since the Regulations are designed to ensure the same level of safety in respect of seafarers’ exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) as applies to workers ashore, the guidance has also been updated to reflect HSE’s guidance on EMFs, now available on the HSE website.

Work is now progressing to finalise the draft Regulations and supporting guidance.


Original consultation

Summary

Consultation covering how ship owners decide how to protect seafarers from the risk of EMF

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

This consultation relates to implementation of directive 2013/35/EU on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from electromagnetic fields (EMF directive). This directive is due to come into force on 1st July 2016.

This consultation does not cover any work on the directive for land-based industry as this is being taken forward by The Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Employment and Labour, Northern Ireland.

The EMF directive lays down minimum requirements for the protection of workers from risks to their health and safety arising, or likely to arise, from exposure to EMFs with frequencies up to 300 gigahertz. It requires duty holders to assess the levels of EMF to which their workers may be exposed against a set of specific thresholds.

Employers will have a responsibility to ensure that employees are not exposed to electromagnetic field levels in excess of the ELVs. Employers will be responsible for carrying out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the levels of electromagnetic fields to which employees may be exposed.

Documents

Consultation on the implementation of directive 2013/35/EU regarding the exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields (EMF)

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Draft MCA guidance on the electro-magnetic fields regulations for Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels

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The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Electromagnetic Fields) Regulations 2016 (draft)

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Impact Assessment on EMF

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Updates to this page

Published 14 March 2016
Last updated 23 April 2018 + show all updates
  1. Final outcome of consultation.

  2. Update outlining responses to the (EMF) consultation.

  3. Updated Northern Ireland health and safety information on the consultation document.

  4. First published.

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