Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness Online Training & Certification

Description

What’s in the Radiofrequency (RF) Course?

This training course is OSHA-aligned and covers OSHA’s classroom training requirements. Each class contains sections on equipment and anatomy, maintenance and inspections, safe operations and stability, common hazards, and more. This presentation includes intermittent practice quiz questions to prepare for the final written exam included with the course. Upon successful completion of the course and exam, you will have immediate online access to your certificate of completion. You have the option to download the practical evaluations for the specific course. Although the practical evaluation is not a required part of the online course, we strongly recommend completing it under the supervision of your employer to ensure your mastery of the safety training topics.

Course Goals:

• Understand the importance of RF radiation and how it affects you
• Prepare you for working near RF radiation
• Know how to work safely while on telecommunication towers or rooftops

Estimated Training Length: Because everyone learns and progresses at different speeds, the amount of time you spend taking this training will vary. However, the estimated time for this training is 90 – 120 min.

Intended Audience:

• Employees

This course covers the following OSHA standards:

• 29 CFR 1910.97 – Occupational Health and Environmental Control
• 29 CFR 1910.147 – General Environmental Controls
• 29 CFR 1910.268 Special Industries – Telecommunications
• 29 CFR 1926.54 – Nonionizing Radiation
• 29 CFR 1926.29 – PPE
• 47 CFR 1.1307(b)
• 47 CFR 1.1310
• IEE Std C95.7 – 2014
• IEE Std C95.2 – 2018
• IEE Std C95.1 – 2019/Cor2-2020
• IEE Std C95.1 – 2019

How does this Online RF Safety Training Course Work?

1. First, you will complete the online RF certification course (est. time: 90-120 min) which includes three modules:

• INTRODUCTION & GENERAL INFORMATION
• EXPOSURE & SAFE OPERATIONS
• SAFE OPERATIONS CONTINUED, HAZARDS & CONCLUSION

2. After that, you will take the online exam. In the event that you do not pass the exam the first time, you do get a second chance.

3. Immediately upon passing the exam, you will have instant access to your printable RF certificate and wallet card.

*Note the expiration date of your radiofrequency RF awareness certification and return to this page before then to purchase again.

Do you need to train more than a few people? Check out our company account/group training options which qualify for bulk discounts with 26+ trainees.

Why Take Our Online Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness Safety Training & Certification?

Our online training course provides a substantial, thorough, and effective way to learn how to work safely. We’ve been providing industry-specific safety training solutions for individuals, safety managers, and business owners for over 15 years.

The online course meets the classroom requirement for occupational safety training. It also includes a proficiency checklist that employers can use to perform a practical evaluation, in accordance with standards and regulations.

We have fine-tuned this training to provide you with the best experience possible. Our robust training approach gives an interactive experience that helps learners retain information and apply it on the job site, preventing costly accidents and fines. Safety training is an investment. That is why hundreds of companies and individuals all over the world trust the Hard Hat Training Series for their online training needs.

Why Buy Our Online Radiofrequency RF Awareness Training?

• Complete Training: First and foremost our goal is to keep you safe and save you money. Don't risk getting expensive OSHA fines because you settled for a sub-par training program that didn't cover safety topics in depth. Train using a program that helps you retain what is learned so that it is put into practice on job sites.
• Cost-Effective: Hiring a trainer to come on-site can be expensive. In contrast, our online curriculum lowers costs while still providing a professional training experience.
• Records Tracking System: We offer an easy-to-use management system so that if you have multiple students who are receiving the training you can have access to all records, all-terrain certificates, observation guides and more! (contact us if you would like us to quickly create a company account for you)
• Train Your Way: You can use this online training program for new hire training, refresher training or train remotely. Access it from anywhere and work on your schedule.
• Interactive Learning: Special reminders and quiz questions throughout the course prep students for the final exam so that it is passed the first time.
• Corporate License: Do you want to host this course on your own server? Contact us about obtaining broadcasting rights for this and any of our other online courses.

You might also be interested in our Online Electric Utilities and Telecom Safety Course.

RF Awareness Training

RF radiation produces thermal effects that can cause blindness and sterility at high concentrations.

• Anyone working on or near transmission towers is exposed to radiation if not protected.
• The frequency, distance from the source, and duration of exposure determine how hazardous RF radiation is.
• Telecommunications services are where RF energy is most often used.

What Is Radiofrequency?  

Electric and magnetic energy travel in waves through space at the speed of light to make up electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic energy includes, among other things, radio waves and microwaves that are released by transmitting antennas. The term “radiofrequency (RF) energy or radiation” is used to refer to them all. It should be noted that “radiation” does not equate to “radioactive.”

The movement of electrical charges within an antenna produces the RF waves that are emitted from it. An electromagnetic wave can be described using its wavelength and frequency. While the frequency is the number of electromagnetic waves passing a certain place in a second, the wavelength is the distance traveled by an electromagnetic wave over one full cycle. The “hertz” unit is typically used to indicate the frequency of an RF transmission (abbreviated “Hz”). One cycle per second is equal to one Hz, and there are one million cycles per second in a megahertz (MHz).

We are able to use devices like radios, cell phones, and televisions because radio waves are used for telecommunication transmissions. There are radio towers all throughout the world since this method of information transmission is so widely used. There are around 500,000 cell and radio towers in North America alone. RF radiation is a harmful byproduct of the energy that is delivered by radio waves, despite the fact that the waves are helpful.

If not adequately protected and trained, anyone who operates on or close to the transmission towers may be exposed to harmful radiation. Even though radio waves are invisible, they can still be dangerous. Long-term effects of radio frequency exposure are possible.

A component of the electric and magnetic fields (EMF) is radio waves. They are made of magnetic and electric energies that interact to form a field of waves. Name, wavelength, and frequency are used to categorize all waves in the electromagnetic field.

RF Awareness 

Many different commercial and industrial uses exist for radiofrequency (RF) energy. It fuels our mobile service and transmits radio and television content into our homes. But there are serious health dangers associated with RF radiation, particularly for those who work near antenna and tower sites. With an RF awareness training course, you will learn about the possible dangers of exposure and how to prevent them.

The purpose of Hard Hat Training’s Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness training course is to build an understanding of the prevalence of RF radiation in the workplace. Radio, television, mobile phones, and other forms of telecommunication are some of the greatest sources of RF radiation.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now provides guidelines addressing safety and health hazards linked to RF exposure as a result of the prevalence of RF radiation in the workplace. Participants will leave this program with a solid grasp of RF radiation’s applications, health and safety risks, and best working practices. The Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness course includes basic information on RF radiation, its sources, possible effects of exposure, and more.

Why Do You Need RF Training?  

You must be aware of how radio waves influence you to work around radio towers. A large part of the electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves. RF radiation can be dangerous. Its frequency, the strength of the field, your proximity to the source, and the length of exposure are some of the variables that affect how it affects you. Extended exposure to radio waves can result in RF burns due to the heat they emit. Exposure can cause illness or diseases, symptoms including wheezing, inflammation, headaches, a higher chance of glioma, and even brain cancer.

Illness aside, there are also hazards to the physicality of working with radio towers. These transmitting structures can be tall, like antennas installed on top of buildings, or towering, like towers rising above 2,000 feet (609.6 m). During operations, one mistake might lead to catastrophe.

For workers who need a basic grasp of RF principles, as well as those who operate in the field of radio frequency communications, RF training courses are available. Our RF course is constantly being updated with the most recent data. 

Does OSHA Require RF Awareness Training? 

OSHA has no defined regulations for radiofrequency and microwave radiation. However, State Plans are required to set and enforce standards that are as least as effective as OSHA’s, although they may have different or more strict criteria.

Group Training 

Our group training Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness training course is OSHA Aligned. Our group training session is designed to get you ready to comprehend the significance of RF radiation and how it impacts you, work with RF radiation, and learn how to operate securely when on roofs or telecommunications towers.

RF Safety Hazards 

At high power concentrations, RF radiation can cause thermal effects that can result in blindness and sterility. High amounts of radiofrequency radiation have the ability to heat biological tissue and raise body temperature. In humans, the body’s inability to absorb or eliminate the additional heat produced by significant RF exposure can result in tissue damage. Restriction measures or mitigation activities may be necessary to ensure the safe use of RF energy in such scenarios.

Industry Standards 

Workers who are on or near antennas that send radio waves run the risk of lethal falls, RF radiation, and serious burns. Safety training is a crucial tool for identifying potential threats, regardless of your expertise or the height of the tower you are working on.

A large portion of the electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves. They are the subject of this course; but before we get into RF waves, let’s have a look at how and where they fit in relation to other waves.

Radiofrequency Energy: How is it Used?

The most common application of RF energy is in the provision of telecommunications services. RF energy is used in a variety of telecommunications applications, including radio and television broadcasting, cellular telephones, personal communications services (PCS), pagers, telephones, business radio, radio communications for police and fire departments, amateur radio, microwaves, and satellite communications. 

Radiofrequency radiation, particularly microwave radiation, has the ability to send energy to water molecules. Microwave radiation at high levels will create heat in water-rich materials, such as most meals.

Food may be cooked in a microwave oven more quickly than in a normal oven thanks to the effective absorption of microwave energy by water molecules, which causes fast heating throughout an object. Radar, industrial heating, and sealing are among the more significant non-telecommunication uses of RF radiation.

Radar is a useful technology that is employed in a variety of settings, including air traffic control, military surveillance, and the enforcement of speed limits in transportation. Similar to how a microwave oven cooks food, industrial heaters and sealers produce high amounts of RF radiation that quickly heat the item being processed. 

These tools are used in many different industrial processes, including processing food goods, bonding wood products, sealing things like shoes and wallets, and molding plastic components. RF radiation is also used in a variety of medical procedures, including diathermy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Radiofrequency Radiation Measurements 

An RF electromagnetic wave contains both an electric and a magnetic component, and it is frequently useful to represent the strength of the RF environment at a given point unit relevant to each component. The measure “volts per meter” (V/m), for example, is used to indicate the intensity of the electric field, whereas the unit “amperes per meter” (A/m) is used to express the strength of the magnetic field (magnetic “field strength”). “Power density” is another regularly-used unit for quantifying the entire electromagnetic field. When the point of measurement is far enough away from an antenna to be in the “far-field” zone of the antenna, power density is the most suitable measurement.

Power density is defined as the flow of power per unit area. The “Specific Absorption Rate,” or “SAR,” is the number used to calculate the rate at which RF energy is absorbed in a body. It is often measured in watts per kilogram (W/kg) or milliwatts per gram (mW/g). In the event of whole-body exposure, a standing ungrounded human adult absorbs RF energy at a maximum rate when the frequency of the RF radiation is around 70 MHz.

Under these conditions, the “whole-body” SAR is at its highest. RF safety requirements are often most stringent in the 30 to 300 MHz frequency range. To manage the absorption of RF energy, “partial-body” SAR limits are employed in safety guidelines for exposure of sections of the body, such as exposure from hand-held mobile phones.

To learn more about the Radiofrequency (RF) Awareness, read our How Does RF Affect Humans article.