Since 2016, this regulation has been included within the occupational risk prevention law and is mandatory.
As a case study, the University Healthcare Complex of León (CAULE), with the collaboration of INYCOM, decided to evaluate the existing risks and implement the appropriate security measures to eliminate them or reduce them to acceptable levels.
The hospital has various industrial equipment and machinery that utilize EMF fields: a main high-voltage transformer (45,000 volts/13,000 volts), a
low-voltage transformer room (13,000 volts/230 volts), an 850 kVA generator, a water pump system, air conditioning units, a water chiller, an elevator room, safety electromagnets on fire doors, etc.
It also houses medical and laboratory equipment: an electrotherapy room with diathermy equipment (shortwave and microwave) and magnetotherapy equipment, plasma sterilization equipment, diagnostic imaging rooms, etc.
Individuals with particularly sensitive conditions may pass through these areas, such as personnel with implantable medical devices like cardiac defibrillators, and the potential presence of pregnant women must also be taken into account.
Inycom and the Occupational Risk Prevention Service (Dr. González Espinel and Dr. de la Torre Robles), accompanied by hospital technical staff, conducted EMF field measurements at all critical points within the hospital complex. The intensity of these fields was measured and compared to the limits established by current regulations (RD 299/16).
Measurements were taken with equipment and machinery active and operating under normal load conditions, ensuring the results were representative of typical hospital conditions.
The results showed that in certain areas and situations, the intensity of EMF fields must be considered to minimize risks to personnel.
Proposed solutions range from marking points with high EMF field intensities, which are not recommended for people under normal circumstances, to restricting access to other areas, especially for individuals with special needs (wearers of medical devices, pregnant women, etc.).
Special mention should be made of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, which generate very intense magnetic fields.
On the other hand, it should be added that medical electrotherapy equipment (diathermy, magnetotherapy and similar) has a special consideration, since the thermal effects it generates in the patient's body are precisely the effects sought for therapeutic purposes.
One of the instruments INYCOM uses to offer this measurement service is the Wavecontrol SMP2 electromagnetic field meter, which measures a
bandwidth from 1 Hz to 18 GHz.
Three types of probes can be added to the meter for measurements from 100 kHz to 18 GHz (WPF-3, WPF-6/8, WPF-18), from 1 Hz to 400 kHz (WP400, WP50), and mobile band measurement (WPT).
The meter complies with European Directive 2013/35/EU.
