EMF COMP
Pacemaker & ICD Interference Assessments
Pacemakers, ICDs and other active or passive implanted medical devices are highly susceptible to electromagnetic fields.
A pacemaker or ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) can be upset by electromagnetic fields far weaker than those that affect anyone else. Everyday equipment such as magnets, welders and heavy electrical supplies can be enough, and the consequences can be serious. That is why the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016 (CEMFAW) single out employees with implants as being “at particular risk” and expect them to be protected at much lower levels. Every employer must assess the risk, and those with five or more employees must record it. We do that assessment for you. Has an employee just been fitted with a device and wants to come back to work? We carry out “back to work” pacemaker and ICD surveys. Is there already an employee, contractor or visitor on site with a medical implant? We measure the fields where they actually go, and tell you, and them, exactly where is safe. Contact us for more details.
EMF Guidance for Pacemaker Wearers and Defibrillators (ICDs)
Every employer, in every sector, must comply with the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations (CEMFAW). For most workers that means staying below limits set to prevent direct health effects. For anyone with a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or other implant, it is a different question: could the field interfere with the device? The Regulations call these people “employees at particular risk”, and industrial sites are full of sources that need checking for them.
This is specialist work, and we are specialists. Our Director, Dr Richard Findlay, is a Chartered Radiation Protection Professional, a Fellow of the Society for Radiological Protection (SRP) and past Chair of its EMF Safety Committee. We assess implanted devices against the public reference levels of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC, with no time averaging, because interference with a cardiac device is instantaneous. At 50 Hz that means 100 µT and 5 kV/m. The result is an accurate picture of the interference risk to your employee, in their own workplace, and precautions that protect them.
Help is at Hand
A new implant does not have to mean the end of someone’s job. It does mean the usual limits no longer apply, and the assessment becomes more involved. Often the employee’s cardiologist or the device manufacturer has given specific guidance on safe field strengths. If so, bring it along: that information sets the assessment criteria and takes precedence over general advice in the public domain. Pacemaker precautions and ICD restrictions may be needed, but they are usually simpler than people fear.
The usual culprits are welding, magnets, electric motors and cables carrying heavy currents. Static magnetic fields above 0.5 mT, for example, can affect how a pacemaker operates. We find where the fields exceed the safe levels, mark those areas, and specify the pacemaker and ICD warning signage needed. You get practical solutions, an action plan and mitigation measures, explained in language the employee can understand as well as the employer.
Medical Devices Prone to Electromagnetic Interference
Electromagnetic fields can interfere with the following equipment:
- Cardiac pacemakers
- Cardiac defibrillators
- Implanted drug infusion pumps
- Insulin pumps
- Hormone infusion pumps
- Brainstem and cochlear implants
- Artificial joints, pins, plates and screws
- Neurostimulators and brain shunts
Independent Advice
We are independent, we sell no shielding or equipment, and our advice on electromagnetic fields and pacemakers follows the science on medical device interference and nothing else. That matters when someone’s job, and their heart, depend on the answer. We work closely with industrial clients so that they understand what the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016 (CEMFAW) require, and can put the right measures in place to protect employees at particular risk without restricting them more than necessary.
Affiliated Organisation
EMFcomp is SafeContractor accredited, an Affiliate of the Society for Radiological Protection and an alumnus of the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre. Our work ranges from pacemaker and ICD exposure assessments and human EMF modelling to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) measurements. Get in touch today for a free, no obligation consultation.
