The PEROSH workshop on “EMF Exposure of electronic article surveillance systems at workplaces” aimed to share information about the application of electronic article surveillance in retail and logistics.
Following the welcoming to the workshop by Dr. Klaus Schiessl, AUVA (Austria), the introductory presentation held by Dr. Patryk Zradinski, CIOP (Poland), gave an insight into different EAS technologies and highlighted the results of investigations on that subject in Poland.
In the second presentation, Dr. Carsten Alteköster, IFA (Germany), made aware of the multiple challenges in application, focussing on acoustomagnetic EAS-systems. Hazards for workers, workers at particular risk, and the general public are immanent, as visualised with the AURA system.
In the third presentation, Dr. Peter Jeschke, BAuA (Germany), explained the normative background of product safety standards and underlying use conditions in order to place products on the European single market, raising awareness about the discrepancies of conformity assessment and real life exposure at workplaces.
The concluding presentation was brought to the audience by Dr. Lauri Puranen, STUK (Finland), focussing on the a measurement campaign in Finland. The results obtained by STUK matched those from Poland and Germany.
The workshop helped attendees beyond Europe and PEROSH member institutions to gain an understanding of potential health hazards originating by different EAS technologies. The organisers aim to connect with further PEROSH member institutes and the IRPA task group “Non Ionising Radiation” to facilitate a solid understanding of the risks involved with different EAS-technologies and what safety measures are to implement.
