Magnet Safety

Compliance & Oversight

Regulations & Guidelines

The use of Magnetic Instrumentation is regulated by the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)  and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs) have been established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists(ACGIH), WorkSafeBC(WCB) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Simon Fraser University has a comprehensive Radiation Safety Program (RSP) which includes ionizing (IR) and non-ionizing radiation (NIR), as part of several Environmental Health & Research Safety Programs. The program offers consulting and surveying to meet federal, provincial and  regulatory requirements.

Prior to commencing work with instrumentation which generates strong magnetic fields (e.g. superconducting magnets, NMR, MRI), employees, researchers, students or visitors are required to complete instrument specific training.

Radiation Safety Policy

The Magnet Safety Program falls under SFU's Radiation Safety policy R20.04. Simon Fraser University’s Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), Radiation Safety,  provides safety consultation and monitors exposure to operators of NIR equipment in order to reduce risk of injury and prevent overexposure.

University Radiation Safety committee    

This Research Safety committee provides internal audits of activities involving ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. For information on the University Radiation Safety Committee, refer to the Radiation Safety – URSC webpage.

Magnet Inventory

Registration of magnet instrumentation has been added to SFU's online laboraty hazard inventory system. The inventory system allows SFU to better meet important regulatory requirements.

For more information, visit the laboratory hazard inventory page.