Comparative exposure to magnetic fields of live-line workers on power lines

Live-line maintenance workers (linemen) are exposed to very high magnetic flux densities due to the nature of their work, which requires working in close proximity to the transmission lines. Although the evidence of adverse health risks remains non conclusive and debatable to date, it is still sufficient to warrant limited concern according to the international standards. The research presented in this paper aims to provide numerical comparative assessment of the risk of exposure of linemen on power lines of three different voltage levels and to study the factors affecting the interaction between AC magnetic fields and the human body. A statistical-based comparative study is conducted to express exposure parameters on the three lines. The exposure statistics include both magnetic flux and induced current densities.