No abstract

To evaluate the occupational safety of a high signal operator exposed to the electric field induced by contact wires with a frequency of 50 Hz and a voltage of 27.5 kV, this study established a model of a high signal operator working in the vicinity of singleand double-track railways. The electric field distribution in the operator's body and his head were calculated and analyzed during the operation using the finite element method (FEM). The calculated results were compared with the international standard occupational exposure limits formulated by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and action levels (ALs), exposure limit values (ELVs) in Directive 2013/35/EU (EU Directive). In the case of a single-track railway exposure, the maximum electric field strength in the worker's body, in the scalp layer, and inside the brain are 227 mV/m, 2.76 kV/m, and 0.14 mV/m, respectively. For a double-track railway exposure, the maximum internal electric field strength of the operator is 310 mV/m, which is 37.85% of the occupational exposure basic restriction limit. The maximum electric field strength in the head layers is 3.42 kV/m, which is 34.2% of the occupational exposure reference level and 34.2% of the low ALs. The maximum electric field strength of the brain is 0.19 mV/m, which is 0.19% of the occupational basic restriction limit and 0.135% of the sensory effects ELVs. Results show that the electric field exposure of the high signal operator to contact wires in single-and double-track railways is lower than the occupational exposure limits provided by the ICNIRP and EU Directive standards and is thus regarded as safe for workers.