General Workplace Safety
Mobile Phones

Mobile phones may be provided to staff who need to be contacted whilst they are at a recce, on location or away from their desks for periods of time. A mobile phone may be supplied as a security measure for those who are working alone away from base.

 

It is a specific offence to use a hand held mobile phone or other similar device whilst driving.  More information can be found on the Driving page.

 

General Information
Mobile phones must not be used where they may interfere with other equipment e.g. hospitals, aeroplanes, or cause fire or explosion e.g. petrol stations, at quarries, chemical plants, military installations and other areas where explosives or explosive gases may be present.

 

The mobile phone will continue to transmit call responses if left in standby mode. It must be switched off in restricted areas.
In areas where the use of mobile phones is prohibited or restricted the phones should be switched off.

 

Radio equipment and mobile phones can interfere with the function of inadequately shielded medical devices such as hearing aids and pacemakers.

 

 

Health and Mobile Phones
Mobile phones supplied by the BBC comply with international guidelines governing radio waves.

 

The National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB) is the UK authority governing radiation and safe limits. The NRPB has stated that:

"Mobile phones are not radioactive and do not emit ionising radiations such as x-rays or gamma rays."

Radio waves emitted above a certain level can cause heating effects in the body. International guidelines seek to ensure that exposure is kept below that level. All mobile phones sold in the UK meet these guidelines.

 

The balance of current research evidence suggests that exposures to radio waves below levels set out in international guidelines do not cause health problems for the general population. However, there is some evidence that changes in brain activity can occur below these guidelines, but it is not clear why, so further research is being carried out.

 

Until more research findings become available the exposure to radio waves may be minimised by keeping calls short and selecting phones on the basis of SAR.

 

The specific absorption rate (SAR) is the measurement of how much radio wave energy the body receives from each model of mobile phone.

 

The information is provided to consumers for each model of mobile phone and all models sold in the UK meet international exposure guidelines.

 

There has been some discussion about whether hands free kit reduce SAR. Further research is being carried out to investigate SAR levels when using phones with hands free kit and the results will be made available as soon as they are completed.

 

 

Risk Assessment
The Manager must carry out a risk assessment. To do this the Manager will decide why the mobile phone is to be supplied, the hazards of the environment that it might be used and agree the controls identified in the assessment with the individual involved.

 

The risks will vary in each case and this is why risk assessment is so important.

Alternatives to mobile phones should be used where available e.g. landlines, pagers.