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Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)

Regulations

Explosives Regulations, 2024

Radio Frequency Device Guidelines

4. Scope of Application

 

(1) These guidelines are applicable to all persons involved in explosives workplace under Explosives Regulations, 2003 Occupational Health and Safety act regulation 6(3)(iv).
(2) These guidelines are applicable to any explosives manager who intends to introduce radio frequency (RF) devices within the Danger Area
(3) These guidelines are applicable to Intentional Transmitters that are either Type Approved Equipment or Spectrum Licensed Equipment intended for use in the Danger Area.

 

Management of RF Devices and or updates/ modifications in the Danger Area can be determined by following the three steps:

1. Assessments of RF equipment and product.
2. Risk assessment of the process, equipment, personnel & structure.
3. Submission to the Department of Employment and Labour for notification.

 

The following information is required to perform a desktop evaluation of required exclusion zones for intentional radio frequency equipment:

 

i. Purpose of the assessment.
Impact on production line (e.g. adding wireless cameras in production area etc)
Impact on product (e.g. using RFID scanners in a magazine etc)
Impact on personnel (e.g. radiation hazard due to office location next to radio mast etc)

 

ii. Production Line
Block diagram with description of each manufacturing step.
List of intentional transmitters including manufacturer, model, operational frequency and effective radiated power (ERP). This should be available from the ICASA Certificate.
Immunity level of equipment critical to the process. This is often available on the CE declaration of conformity or can be assumed based on the declaration for industrial equipment (10V/m) or light industrial (3V/m).

 

iii. Product
Detonation mechanism (Shock wave, temperature, impact, spark etc)

 

In the case where a desktop study would indicate an unacceptable risk, or where intentional transmitter data is not available, tests shall be done. Tests shall be done according to a customer agreed test procedure that shall describe the emission (typically CISPR) and immunity (typically IEC 61000-4–xx series) test set-up and test levels. Laboratory tests shall take preference. Each situation should be evaluated on a case by case basis as there could be intrinsically safe requirements for the test equipment should in-situ tests be required.

 

The outcome of the assessment is mitigation required to reduce the risk to acceptable levels.