RF Safety training courses and RF Safety Awareness should be taken seriously and training is an OSHA and FCC requirement for all site workers. Finding and selecting RF Safety Awareness training can be challenging with all the options available. This post offers some pointers on how to select the most appropriate and effective RF safety training for your team. Here are some key points to consider:
What should RF Safety training cover? – RF Safety training should cover basic RF, microwave and antenna concepts, as well as FCC and OSHA regulations. Types of RF radiation (Ionizing vs. Non-ionizing), biological effects and MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) at sites should also be covered. A review of RF Safety signs, hazard assessment, lock out-tag out procedures and personal protection equipment should also be included with any RF Safety training course.
Who developed and delivers the course material? – Understanding who developed and delivered the RF Safety course material is extremely important, as this will greatly impact the quality of the course. Be certain to ask who developed the material and what their educational background and experience is. Obviously an Electrical Engineer with many years of RF & Microwave experience would be best. As an example, the founder of Singer Executive Development has a BSEE degree and has decades of experience working with and developing products for communication sites. For information on the Singer Executive Development RF Safety course please see this link SED RF Safety Training.
Who needs RF Safety training? – Anyone who will be working on or near RF sites is required to be trained and trained with some periodicity. This includes general site and tower workers, rooftop workers, engineers and all site technicians and maintenance crews. Most companies re-certify all workers on an annual basis. Additionally, re-certification is required for all new employees and after any incident. Remember, any personal that may encounter radio frequency exposure in the workplace should be trained.
How easy is the training to use? – There are generally two types of RF Safety training, on-line and classes that can be held at your facility. They each have their strengths. On-line courses are efficient, cost-effective and can generally be accessed 24/7. (Singer Executive Development offers one of the most cost-effective on-line RF Safety training classes available.) Having training brought to your facility allows significantly more material to be covered and provides a much greater depth of understanding. Either method, when combined with OSHA compliant certification, will be acceptable to OSHA.
Does the training offer OSHA compliant certification? – Be certain to check that the course you are considering offers OSHA compliant certification. You also want to be sure your HR department files these certifications in case of an OSHA visit. Singer Executive Development offers OSHA compliant certification for all students that pass their SED RF Safety Training course. Once the final test is satisfactorily completed, a printable certificate is generated. Your company can use this as a record for your files. 
Remember RF Safety awareness training is important to you and your organization. You are liable for fines if your RF site workers are untrained when OSHA visits, or if an employee complains to OSHA. Many carriers and site owners do not permit crews on their sites without current RF Safety awareness certification. Make sure your team gets RF Safety training and chose the provider carefully. Let Singer Executive Development help you with your RF Safety and other technical training needs. Our classes can be tailored to your organization’s needs and our customer testimonials speak to the quality of our training. We offer courses covering all aspects of RF and microwave systems.
RF Safety Awareness Links and Information:
FCC Human Exposure to RF Radiation Fields
FCC OET Bulletin No. 65 – Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to RF
