Making movable objects a part of the Internet of Things (IoT) system requires the use of wireless transmission of data, and often also energy when harvesting electromagnetic energy in the air. Such solutions are increasingly commonly implemented in many sectors of the economy (e.g. manufacturing industry, construction, transport and agriculture, science, healthcare, and even in the uniformed services or military operations). The electromagnetic field (EMF) in such systems is emitted by radio modules of devices equipped with transmitting antennas. Due to the electromagnetic circumstances related to the use of IoT wearable devices, it is appropriate to distinguish them in terms of the type of power source for radio modules into: (1) autonomous devices equipped with a power source for radio modules, using various radiocommunication standards, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, public mobile telecommunication systems, so on; and (2) devices without a power source, powered externally using energy transmitted via a wireless electromagnetic link, e.g. passive RFID tags. The aim of the publication is to characterise the circumstances and effects of EMF exposure in the work environment due to the intended functional properties of various wearable devices used in IoT systems. The wearable IoT systems devices and the various radiocommunication technologies used in them are characterised, considering the EMF emitted during their use, and the effects of this in the work environment. The paper also discusses the legal requirements for assessing and reducing the undesirable effects of EMF exposure on workers and the material objects of work environment, as well as protective measures to limit them, as applied within the requirements of the labour law.

In the work the specification of radar devices emitting strong, pulsed microwave fields and the exposure conditions of workers have been presented. One presented analyses of international rules of the protection of workers exposed to this radiation type. The Polish conditionings of rules of the safety of workers exposed to pulsed microwave field have been described and the unified approach to the metrology of the pulsed microwave field was proposed.

The position of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) on the change of the

maximum exposure limit values (EL) for incoherent visible and infrared radiation, published in 2013, introduces a number of changes to the criteria for assessing the risk of this radiation in comparison to the current regulations which do not involve this position. Depending on the exposure type, these changes concern the weighting functions of the spectral distribution of irradiation intensity and the methods of determining the EL values for various ranges of exposure time and angular dimensions of the source. The aim of this study is to analyze the proposed changes and the resulting differences in the risk assessment at workplaces. Additionally, a number of modifications have been proposed in IR and VIS radiation measurement methods specified in the relevant standard PN-EN 14255-2:2010.

Locators, i.e. wearable remote (electromagnetic) assisting devices, provide ability to supervise the places to stay or to find a person, they are in solutions that improve the safety of people in harsh or dangerous environment. Due to the fact that the locators are designed to improve the safety of people in the event of a hazardous or even life danger of the user, the parameters of the electromagnetic field emitted by them are determined by the technical circumstances and dielectric parameters of the environment that may occur where the active use of locators is expected. Based on the results of performed studies in the vicinity of wearable locators (such as avalanche locators, mining lamps equipped with a mining locating transmitters, or radiotelephones) it is necessary to recognize whether there is an electromagnetic field space with a level at which systemic measures related to protection against electromagnetic hazards are applied (i.e. with ranges depending on the type of device and its operating parameters), and in the case of radiotelephones operating with a power of 4 W or higher, also whether there is also an electromagnetic field space of the dangerous (conditional) exposure. For functional reasons (the need to emit an electromagnetic field near the worker’s body), complete elimination of electromagnetic hazards related to the use of wearable locators is impossible. The protective measures proposed in this paper make it possible to significantly reduce the discussed electromagnetic hazards during the use of wearable locators.

Protection against electromagnetic hazards should also apply to work performed while assessing such hazards, as this is also treated as a use of electromagnetic field (EMF) sources. The most common EMF source for which electromagnetic hazards in the work environment are assessed involves surgical diathermy devices. By such devices, the characteristics of electromagnetic hazards while assessing them has many features in common with the hazards experienced during medical treatments usi ng surgical diathermy devices – they are determined by the configuration of the material objects used in the operating (or treatment) room and the organization of the work of the measuring team / (treatment team). However, the exposure of the treatment team is determined primarily by the patient’s health, as well as by the knowledge and skills of the personnel organizing or performing the treatment. Exposure to the EMF emitted by surgical diathermy devices is inevitable during medical procedures saving the health and life of patients, while exposure during measurements near such devices may be substantially mitigated by developing procedures for performing the measurements in the proper scope and under proper technical conditions – assuming that such measurements are the necessary basis for recognizing and mitigating electromagnetic hazards experienced by the healthcare workers. The article analyses selected aspects of this problem in the context of labour law concerning issues such as the evaluation and mitigation of interactions of EMF emitted by surgical diathermy devices on workers, including evaluation of limb exposure. Measurements of EMF must be organized in such a way as to reliably determine the parameters of the exposure of the treatment team (reaching the level of “dangerous exposure” near many devices), but must also ensure that the exposure of the measuring team is unconditionally “temporary” because the measurement tasks do not fulfill the criteria set with respect to conditional accepting the “dangerous exposure” to EMF for worker (as set out in the labour regulation: J.L 2018, item 331). The principles for organizing such measurements and for assessing electromagnetic hazards (while using surgical diathermy devices), including the use of non-measuringsourced data are described in an appendix to the article.

The characteristics of radiocommunication systems as the main sources of exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in public utility buildings are presented. The results of EMR research in public utility buildings in an urban environment characterized by the highest density of transmitting antennas and EMR with the most complex frequency spectrum are presented. It has been shown that the main sources of exposure to EMR in buildings are external base stations of the 4G/5G mobile communications network (downlink: GSM 900 and LTE 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 bands), terrestrial radio and television transmitters (FM and TV VHF and UHF) if they are located in the city, and internal networks of local communication between devices and access to the Internet (Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz). The investigation results showed that under typical conditions of location of external antennas of radiocommunication systems, exposure to EMR in public buildings did not exceed the lower limit of the intermediate zone where protection of workers against EMR is applicable (negligible exposure defined by labour law). In the case of EMR sources located inside buildings, they may have a significant contribution to the exposure profile. The key elements of the procedure for EMR assessments and limiting EMR radiation in public buildings were also presented.

The development of e-mobility, electric vehicles and the technical infrastructure that provides energy to move vehicles on the roads (charging stations) has led to increased electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions. In accordance with the requirements set out by provisions of labour law, EMF emissions are assessed and must be limited in the work environment due to the health and safety hazards that are associated with the direct and indirect impact of EMF on humans and material objects during various conditions of using EMF sources (including routine operation, inspection and servicing) (Regulation of ministry of labour issues: J.L. 2018, item 331). The paper discusses typical charging stations for electric vehicles and the characteristic of the EMF present nearby during their use. Due to the recognised possibility of relatively significant EMF level near to charging stations, the recommended method of EMF parameters in situ measurements in the workplace while using this type of equipment was developed, meeting the labour law requirements (Regulations of ministry of labour issues: J.L. 2018, item 331 and 1286). The paper also presents the key elements of the programme of applying protective measures to reduce electromagnetic hazards while using electric power infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, which are required in order to provide workers with safe and hygienic working conditions in the vicinity of EMF sources.

Acting on the basis of the Atomic Law, the State Voivodeship Sanitary Inspector provides substantive support to the Voivode (provincial governor) in the scope of: dosimetric and spectrometric measurements at the site of a radiation emergency, laboratory determinations, the interpretation of results and analyses, the assessment of risk and the development of an emergency situation, and drafting a pre-emptive warning information for citizens. In addition, the inspector cooperates with the Voivode concerning potential intervention activities, such as: evacuation, the administration of preparations with stable iodine, and issuing a prohibition or restriction regarding the consumption of contaminated food and contaminated drinking water. The range of potential actions is therefore wide and requires comprehensive analytical knowledge. The article discusses activities related to the actions to take in the event of radiation emergencies. It explains some practical aspects regarding the search for radioactive material causing radiation emergencies and ways of identifying an emergency, and explains the procedure once radioactive material has been detected and how to safeguard it. This is all based on the practical experience developed during interventions related to the radiation emergences that occurred in the Podkarpackie Voivodship. The article looks at the methods of protecting the intervenors against biological and chemical agents that may appear at the location of a radiation emergency, as well as the signalling and measuring equipment used during the interventions related to radiation emergencies. The analytical possibilities were characterised in the case of events on a factory or voivodship scale. The article discusses aspects related to communication with the Provincial Crisis Management Centre, the State Fire Service and the Radiation Emergency Centre of the National Atomic Energy Agency, as well as with employees of the organisational unit where the radiation emergency occurred.

The legal requirements for protection against electromagnetic hazards are developing along with the development of

technologies that cause the emission of electromagnetic field into the work environment and scientific knowledge about the mechanisms of its impact on people and other material objects and the related safety and health hazards. Recommendations developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) have become the point of reference for many legal documents in Europe. This article characterizes the origin of these recommendations against the background of Polish and international (IEEE, INIRC) practical experience in the protection of workers against electromagnetic hazards and the usefulness of the latest ICNIRP (2020) recommendations regarding protection against the effects of electromagnetic field with a frequency exceeding 100 kHz for applications in the field of occupational health and safety.