The Mast & Tower Safety (MATS) Group has released Issue 3 (August 2025) of its guidance note, GN-020: Radio-Frequency Safety for Non-Telecommunications Workers. This update is a critical reminder for the arboricultural industry of radio-frequency (RF) radiation – the “invisible hazard”.

As telecommunications infrastructure continues to expand onto rooftops, street furniture, and even chimneys, arborists are increasingly finding themselves working near active antennas.

Arborists are listed as at-risk workers because their duties frequently require working at height near RF sources. As shown in the image using a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) to work on trees near a cellular mast can place an operater directly within an antenna's exclusion zone.

The latest update to the guidance introduces several key changes:

• Legal Compliance: The guidance reinforces that the legal responsibility for compliance remains with the Responsible Person (e.g. the business owner, director or other employer) to keep staff safe.
• Adjacent Building Checks: It is advised that the wider surrounding area, including buildings, is checked for potential RF sources, even when the immediate work area or the job specification does not involve an antenna.
• Site Provider Coordination: If you need to enter an exclusion zone for a job, you must contact the site provider or operator. Getting equipment switched off can take several weeks of planning.