November 21, 2019
Thirteen. That’s the number of years that Physical Plant employees have worked on the roof of Maxey Hall — without suitable safety training — while cell antennas have occupied the same area, exposing workers to varying levels of radio frequency radiation during the completion of projects and regular maintenance. Earlier this month, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries cited Whitman College for failure to provide appropriate safety training and equipment for radio frequency radiation.
Excerpt:
In June 2019, worry over RF radiation on Maxey arose once again at Whitman when AT&T hired Waterford Consultants LLC to evaluate their antenna installation on the roof of Maxey Hall, based on responses to industry conditions.
Waterford recommended an assessment that included both the AT&T towers as well as the T-Mobile towers, and Park hired Waterford to do an assessment specifically for the college on all cell towers on the roof.
The report that followed found that at the penthouse level of the rooftop — a 12-foot raised section on the main level of the roof — T-Mobile’s RF radiation was at 100-500 percent maximum permissible exposure (MPE), and AT&T’s levels were 500-5000 percent MPE, which means the levels would be 0-5 and 5-50 times over the public exposure limit, respectively.
The maximum permissible exposure limit is the most RF radiation that people can be exposed to under Federal Communications Commission guidelines, in this case, for the general public. Physical Plant workers fall under the general public limit rather than the occupational limit because they have not been trained for RF radiation. The public limit is ten times lower than the occupational limit. The occupational limit is significantly lower than the level at which any harm might occur to people from RF radiation.
The RF radiation levels on the main level of the rooftop, where Physical Plant Maintenance mostly works, were generally 100-500 percent MPE, except for small parts in front of the T-Mobile cell towers, which were 500-5000 percent MPE. This means that the RF levels on the main rooftop would mostly be 0-5 times over the public exposure limit.
The report was calculated using a computer-generated model, and not from readings from the cell towers. It was also generated from the worst-case predictive modeling. The report called for safety signs and barriers, site inspections, RF online safety training and updating Whitman College’s operations safety plan to include RF emissions safety guidelines as remediation.
Whitman College cited by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
In August 2019, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) received an anonymous complaint over concerns about the levels of RF radiation on the Maxey roof.
According to Miller, EHS hired a specialized consultant, who is an electrical engineer, to work to develop training procedures directly after the college was informed of the L&I complaint.
An L&I inspector recently traveled to Whitman to investigate the complaint. The inspector conducted an inspection of the roof in August, 2019, and then visited with employees during October 2019. In mid-November 2019, L&I gave Whitman College a general citation in a verbal report. A general citation is the lowest level of citation and does not impose a fine. L&I requires that the employer fix the problems within 30 days of written notice of the citation. The college should receive written notice within three to four weeks of the verbal report.
The citation consisted of three problems. The issues included that the college did not identify the specific component of RF radiation risk in the college’s Accident Prevention Program, that the staff did not have adequate training for RF radiation and that the college lacked an RF monitor.
Whitman College Chief Financial Officer Peter Harvey attributes the problems to a lack of understanding about the danger of the cell towers.
“[We] didn’t realize the risk,” Harvey said. “There’s so many things out there that could have risks and I guess that responsibility goes on me as much as anybody that I agreed to put antennas up there.”
Harvey said that the original reason for leasing the space to the cell companies was concern over cell service for the community, especially in the case of emergencies, such as when people have to call 911.
Harvey added, “That’s not an excuse. We should have [realized the risk]. I own that.”
The college is currently working with a consultant to resolve the cited problems, within 30 to 45 days from the verbal report. The moratorium on access to the roof is still in effect. However, when access to the roof is necessary, cell phone companies are able to turn off the power, so that employees can work safely on the roof. This process can take up to 72 hours.
Looking towards the future, Coleman says that his goal is to understand what has happened.
“I just want to get to the bottom of what we were exposed to: if we could have any ill effects from it in the future, if it harmed our health in any way,” Coleman said. “That’s the main thing that I’m after.”
Harvey is currently in communication with the cell companies about ending the leases.
Donahue believes the cell towers should be removed, considering the distress they have caused Physical Plant workers.
“We just want to be heard, and we want to be listened to,” Donahue said.
To read the full article please see: