What we are saying about COVID-19, telecoms equipment safety —Adeyemi, NIEEE Chairman

Kings Adeyemi is the National Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) and a seasoned administrator. In this interview, he speaks with BODE ADEWUMI on the activities of the association on many fronts, particularly, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Can you tell us your Institute’s plan for this year’s World Day 4 Safety & Health at Work in terms of celebration and considering COVID-19?

The first thing we were thought in Electrical Engineering course is our slogan, “Safety First”. And we have most of our slogans coined around safety.

The “World Day for Safety and Health at Work” is the initiative of ILO and UNsince 2003. It is aimed at reducing the number of accidents and diseases at workplaces. You may recall that Nigeria is a member of UN and ILO since 1960.

According to ILO and UN, the whole essence of the event is to promote the awareness on health and safety standards at workplace.

Though, this is not the mood for celebration, however, in commemoration of this year’s World Day for Safety & Health at Work, NIEEE has scheduled a webinar for April 28, 2020.

Safety and Health at work (and everywhere) is central to COVID-19 pandemic response, not only to protect lives but to also ensure that businesses continue after the endemic is over.

This is an opportunity for NIEEE to emphasis on safety and healthy culture at home and workplace. Remember that we spend one third of the day at the workplace, and our lives are patterned in that order.

This is the time to get everyone’s attention to safety and health practice.

In marking this year’s event, we have planned to enlighten the public on two major aspects of safety that affect all Nigerians – Electricity and Radiation safety.

We have invited the two big shots with vast authorities in these subjects, as resource persons in this year’s enlightenment program.

Mr Peter O EwesorFNSE  is the Managing Director/CEO & Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency. He will be talking on “Electrical Safety Standards & Regulations in the Power Industry”.

Mr Bako Wakil (FNSE ) is the Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity Dept; Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will be addressing on the subject Electromagnetic Radiation and Human Safety.

What is your view on effect of emissions generated by telecom equipment on human. Can you assure the public of its safety?

Electrical engineers will say, Safety is a way of life. We made public enlightenment on this topic last week, with reference to 5G networks, EMF from commercial telecoms network are non-ionising radiation. They are safe, as long as the telecom regulator of the country approved that equipment safe for use. We have invited the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity from NCC to our Webinar programme, so that the public can be more enlighten on this subject.

There have been long arguments over location of telecom mast in residential area considering the inherent danger. What is government position on this?

If you go and read guidelines on technical specification for the installation of telecommunications masts and towers on NCC’s website, is a comprehensive document that answer most of these questions. It is a very rich and comprehensive document in deed.

The guideline made adequate provision for siting masts in residential areas, because even the subscribers in residential areas need telecoms services too.

This will be fully addressed by the director from NCC who is very vast on this subject during the Webinar on April 28, 2020.

As for NIEEE, we stand by the side of globally recognised regulations, standards and guidelines.

Many people still believe that Telecom equipment are hazardous to health, is this true?

With my 25 years in the profession, I have come to realise that so many things are possible. And then, so many things around us can be hazardous to health if they are not controlled to work within certain limits. The keywords are “Limits” and “Moderation”. Int’l Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is the global watchdog on non-ionizing radiation.

This global body is well recognised by WHO. ICNIRP released guidelines that set safety human exposure limits from EMF radiations. As long as transmitted signals are within the prescribed limits, then the radiation is safe. In practical terms, the results of field measurements are as low as one per cent of the approved threshold.

I want to tell you authoritatively that those telecoms equipment are not hazardous as long as their radiations are within the safety limits in accordance with the guidelines.

 What’s your take on the hoarse that the proposed 5G was the cause of coronavirus?

5G was not the cause of coronavirus, because the virus cannot be transmitted via radio waves, just as 5G is not a bio-agent.

As experts we cannot link coronavirus pandemic to 5G mobile communication network.

One thing that is common to both of them is that, both of them are parallel hot topics without connection.

Even scientists declared that it is biologically impossible to radiate coronavirus over 5G wireless technologies.

Int’l Telecommunication Union (ITU) has also declared that there was no scientific basis whatsoever between 5G and COVID-19.  Moreover, there was no 5G network in Iran, yet the country recorded over 5,000 deaths due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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