1G1 Understand relevant information in the licence.
Origin of EMF restrictions - The guidelines are provided to Ofcom by the ICNIRP, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The purpose of these restrictions in the licence conditions is to protect the 'general public' from near EM Fields when transmitting 10WERIP or 6.1 Watts ERP into an antenna.
Any failure to comply with the guidance may result in Ofcom enforcement taking action, so please take this very seriously.
The term 'general public' means all members of the public including children and adults need you to protect them from your radiated Electromagnet Fields. Other than these, the licencee, the operator, the installer should have taken their own protective requirements. All contractors working near EM Fields should be taking their own protection as per UK Health and Safety Legislation.
The EMF condition requires spectrum users to ensure the general public EMF limits are not breached in any area where a member of the general public is or can be expected to be present when transmissions are taking place. For simplicity, we refer to these areas as areas where members of the general public may be present. Spectrum users do not need to comply with the general public EMF limits in any area where they are sure a member of the general public is not, and will not, be present when transmissions are taking place.
Then the guidelines explain the exact circumstances that regarding the public and other circumstances apply.
In order to comply with the regulations all spectrum users have to carry out their own assesmment of the EM Fields by knowing their equipment output power, their feeder losses, their antenna gain, and their antenna height. It is a complex calculation, but to make life easier for us radio amateurs, both Ofcom and the RSGB provide calculators for you.
Go to the Ofcom site and use the calculator. You will see that you have to enter details of your antenna, power and feeder length, cable losses etc and it will calculate the compliance distances.
You should make this calculation for each band that you operate and keep a printed copy with your licence for future reference.
Spectrum users do not need to comply with the general public EMF limits if their radio equipment is being used for the purpose of seeking emergency assistance or reporting and responding to an emergency situation (in the vicinity of that situation) including for search and rescue activities and maritime emergency communications.
This applies to any ground emergency service, such as Mountain Rescue teams, the RNLI, and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). IT is in your interests to read and the document published by Ofcom "Guidance on EMF Compliance and Enforcement" currently available here. (click the word "here")
The origin of some of the text on this page is from the RSGB and OFCOM with additions by the web master