Magnet safety in magnetic resonance imaging suite construction

This paper examines whether the parties concerned with the design and construction of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suites adequately address the risks to construction staff from the presence of the static magnetic field of the magnet during the construction phase, and whether this hinders effective health and safety management on site. Concerns are raised about which party to the works is actually responsible for site access controls once the magnet has been energised and to where these controls should extend. Screening of operatives, the need for its documentation and the desirability of health surveillance for those operatives exposed to the static magnetic field of 0.5 mT and above is discussed. Evidence is presented of conflicting advice from the NHS regarding the designed position of the 0.5 mT footprint of the static magnetic field being retained within the MRI scanner room or allowed to pass to the technical room. There appears to be a contrast between operational MRI suite procedures and those at construction stage. This results in there being in a gap in knowledge needed for the efficient management of health and safety on site covering the period within the construction phase between magnet energisation and handover of the MRI suite to the Client for operational use.