electrians who have pacemakers

Pacemaker & Refinery/Power Plants

by SMITTY - 2008-05-01 10:05:49

Hi Amy,

I'm not an electrician and I no longer work, but I can offer an opinion on working in a refinery or power plant. I spent 41 years working in about every nook and cranny of refineries, petrochemical plants, central power stations, or just about any other heavy industry you can name where water and/or steam is used. I got my pacemaker eight years ago so I didn't have a pacemaker during the time I was working. But I think I know the areas that would be of concern to me or any pacemaker wearer. But unfortunately, I don't think there is a simple answer for you.

The first consideration will probably have to be why do you have a pacemaker and are you pacemaker dependant? If you are pacemaker dependant, then work in the industries you name could put you at risk. If you have your pacemaker because of a low heart rate and it is an on demand pacemaker, then you can probably work in refinery/power plants without putting your self at great risk.

So far as I know the thing you would have to be most concerned about is an electromagnetic field created by some of the equipment in a plant. Of course the eclectic generator in a central power station is going to create a sizeable EMF, but from my experience very little of it escapes the generator housing. The shear thickness of the metal housing on a generator will keep most of the EMF inside. Some big eclectic motors (50+ HP) may have enough of an EMF to be noticed by a pacemaker. Electric welding machines are certainly going to have strong enough EMF to be noticeable. So the obvious answer here is if you work in any area where an EMF may be present, caution is the word.

If you are not pacemaker dependant being in the presence of some of the equipment that has a strong EMF may cause you to have a noticeable change in your heart rate because your pacemaker may revert to the same mode it goes into when a magnet is placed over the pacemaker when you are getting a checkup. But just like when the magnet is removed your pacemaker returns to its normal operation, so will this happen when you leave the EMF that is affecting your pacemaker. Again, if your PM is an on demand unit, it should be no problem, but if you are PM dependant, it could be a problem for you.

If you plan to continue working in refinery/power plants you may want to consider getting a gause meter so that you can check for EMF in some of the work areas that may give you reason for concern.

Good luck,

Smitty