Health and mobile safety

There is a lot of public debate about whether mobile phones, base stations and masts are safe and whether mobile phones are appropriate for children to use.  We take people’s concerns seriously - the health and safety of our customers, employees and stakeholders is paramount.

This issue centres on safe levels of exposure to the radio waves emitted from mobile phones and base stations.

We take precautions to ensure that the equipment we use and supply does not exceed safety limits and is within international exposure guidelines. We also take care to provide clear information about how our mobile technology works and to talk openly with all our stakeholders about our policies and plans.

Our policy is to:

• Ensure our products and services comply with the relevant international safety guidelines set by independent agencies and regulatory bodies.
• Employ a consistent internal approach to managing health and safety across the Group.
• Make sure that hazards associated with our operations are identified, assessed, eliminated, reduced, or subject to controls.
• Operate a culture of openness and dialogue with all interested parties and to sustain a commitment to keeping you informed.
• Encourage, help to fund and support further independent research programmes into any alleged health risks in mobile communication.

Network safety guidelines

Our mobile phones and base stations are designed to operate within international exposure guidelines on radio wave emissions that protect against health effects. These guidelines include a substantial safety margin to assure the protection of everyone, regardless of age and health.

The independent agencies that advise on our network’s safety guidelines include: the UK’s Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency (formerly the National Radiological Protection Board), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Measurements by regulators in the UK and Germany show that exposure to radio waves from our masts and base stations in areas where the public generally have access is well below these guidelines, often by hundreds or thousands of times. We regularly review practices to ensure we comply with existing and new advice.