HL Deb 18 November 2004 vol 666 cc213-4WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 5 November (WA 50), what published risk assessment supports the statement that "the risk of incendive sparking from mobile equipment is low"; and how this level of risk compares with that from wrist watches. [HL4918]

Lord Sainsbury of Turville

The statement "the risk of incendive sparking from mobile equipment is low" is taken from an advice note to Petroleum Enforcement Officers issued by the HSE, which based its advice on the conclusions drawn from an open technical seminar hosted in March 2003 by the Institute of Petroleum (now the Energy Institute). A full record of the proceedings can be obtained via the Energy Institute website (www.energyinst.org.uk).

Published standards (EN 60079–14:2003) written by an international committee of experts advise on the use of personal electrical apparatus in hazardous areas. They conclude that "the risk with electronic watches is small and their use in a hazardous area is generally acceptable".

We are not aware of any comparative studies of the sparking risk of mobile phones and wrist watches.