Presentation on EMF health hazards in the workplace (Tasmania)
A presentation as part of WorkSafe Tasmania Month 2011
2″”29 October 2011
Program of Events pdf (See page 7) Registration form on page 3.
Electromagnetic fields at work and at home: Identifying possible hazards, eliminating the risks
Presenter: Don Maisch PhD
Location and time: Hobart Mercure Hotel, Thursday 27 October @ 3:30pm – 5pm.
This presentation will examine lessons learned (and unlearned) from a number of Australian workplace OH&S cases where there were concerns that an apparently high incidence of illness may have been the result of excessive electromagnetic fields in the workplace.
1) First to be examined is the Ross House Worker’s workers compensation case in Melbourne (1991-1992) where chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptoms were reported in a number of female office workers who had worked in an office directly above an in-building electrical substation.
2) Building 109 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (2006) where there were concerns that the incidence of 12 brain tumours amongst employees on the top two floors may have been linked to mobile phone antennas on the roof.
3) A high profile case at the ABC Toowong broadcast studios (2006) where a significant incidence of breast cancer amongst female staff seemed to be linked to an unidentified environmental factor(s) in the building environment.
4) The Hazelwood special school facility in Hobart (2009) in which a number of staff were concerned that an apparent high incidence of various forms of cancer at the school may have been linked to close proximity to a nearby transmission line.
In this presentation an emphasis is placed how the possible hazard was investigated and addressed by the responsible authorities, on how to identify possible EMF hazards, lessons learned for other workplaces and the implications for building design and the home environment.
Who should attend: Building designers, managers, medical practitioners, supervisors, occupational health and safety (OH&S) professionals (advisers, responsible officers, safety representatives, committee members) and workers.
Registration: WorkCover Tasmania. See page 3 of the pdf.