Course Aim

The aim of this Level 2 Radio Frequency Radiation Safety Officer (RFRSO) course is to provide a qualitative level of understanding of the principles of RF radiation safety practice to meet the needs of Australian/International standards for a RF radiation safety officer or Defence Level 2 RF Radiation Safety Officer (RFRSO2). The two days of the course cover an introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum, RF propagation, and antennas; the health effects of RF and RF radiation safety; an introduction to the ARPANSA RF exposure standard; an introduction to RF measurement and computation and RF survey; and the application of RF safety policies, procedures and plans.

For attendees who need additional quantitative qualification, our three-day Level 1 RFRSO Course then builds on these two days with a detailed coverage of RF calculations and the application of the ARPANSA exposure standard to continuous wave and pulsed RF sources, RF radiation test and measurement, computation and uncertainty in accordance with the measurement standard AS/NZS2772.2-2016; and an extensive practicum involving a number of RF radiation survey exercises.

This course is suited to those who supervise operators and maintainers of radio transmitting devices, to qualify them to a level where they are competent to implement safety plans and safety procedures. At the completion of this course attendees will understand the hazards involved in the operation of the equipment and can interpret radiation hazard evaluations. This course is also suited to those with more general health and safety responsibilities for workplaces where radio transmitters are present.

Course Outline

Day 1

Fundamentals: Course introduction | WHS and Radiation Safety | Fundamentals of analogue and digital signals | Electromagnetic spectrum: | Circuits: current, voltage, resistance, impedance, power | Introduction to decibels (dB)

RF Propagation: EM Wave: E field, H field, polarisation | Propagation: Isotropic radiation, EIRP, power flux density | Free-space loss formula | Types of RF propagation: ground wave, surface wave, sky wave, troposcatter | Introduction to modulation | Designations of emissions | Introduction to power density calculations | Typical powers of military and commercial systems | CW vs pulsed, average vs peak power, RMS values

Antennas: Introduction to transmission lines and waveguides | Basic antenna properties: gain, beamwidth, polarisation | Antenna field regions: RNF, radNF, FF | Radiation patterns | Types of antennas including examples

Level 2 Formative Test: Online multiple-choice test to provide students with the opportunity to review the course material from the day. Completion of the test is mandatory

Day 2

Health Effects: Differences in health effects between ionising and non-ionising radiation | Sources of RF | Summary of EME adverse health effects | Evidence based research on exposure level to produce health effect | Limits based on reduction factors applied to identified exposure levels | Introduction to basic restrictions and reference levels

ARPANSA Exposure Standard: Intro to RF safety relevant guidelines and standards: WHS Act, regulatory authorities, protection authorities, exposure standards, measuring standards, risk management, safety plans | Relevant regulatory and protection authorities: ICNIRP, ARPANSA, ACMA | Introduction to ARPANSA Standard | Basic restrictions: health effects, safety factors | Reference levels derived from basic restrictions | Exposure to multiple fields, spatial averaging, multi-frequency combination | ARPANSA Standard’s tables, graphs and schedules | Verification of compliance and recording |Protection | Application of the ARPANSA Standard | Managing risk  | Training and supervision | Provision of information

Introduction to RF Radiation Hazard Measurement and Computation and Survey Procedures: Introduction to AS/NZS 2772.2:2016 | Setting up for the assessment task | Preliminary assessment | Choosing the assessment method | Measurement; choice of technique; measurement procedures; post-processing and finalizing results; sources of uncertainty in measurement | Computation | Reporting of results

RF Safety Procedures and Policies: RF safety training and competencies | RF Safety monitoring and surveillance | RF safety incident management and reporting | RF safety policies and procedures | RF risk management | RF safety records | Procurement and disposal of controlled RF radiation apparatus | RF Safety Plans and arrangements | RF Safety Plan exercise

Level 2 Final Test: Online multiple-choice test (no calculations) —Level 2 certificate awarded on successful completion of the Day 1 Test and a pass of >60% for the Day 2 Test.

Course Material

The following resources will be provided to attendees of this course:

1. A PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentations used for the course.

2. PDF copies of exercises and examples.

3. A certificate of completion (subject to passing the course evaluations).