Sacofa strictly adheres to regulations, assures telco towers radiation are not harmful

LIMBANG: Sacofa Sdn Bhd (Sacofa) recently conducted a public seminar on the misconception people have on the dangers and hazards of Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) and Radio Frequency (RF) emissions to people living in close proximity to telecommunications towers.

Sacofa’s public safety drive, which is now in its second year, helps the public to better understand telco towers, how vastly important they are to the state’s development, and that they pose no threat to public health and safety.

In a statement, it said, these telco towers are widely reported to have a highly positive impact providing high-speed broadband connectivity and all its benefits to the life of the people around it as a driver for education where schools can have access to open-source learning opportunities and materials; and also to stimulate innovation, entrepreneurial growth and economic advancement for the communities they serve.

Sacofa has recently responded to public complaints in places like Taman Jasmine in Bintulu, Siang Siang in Miri and Stapok in Kuching, which demonstrates the importance of educating the public via interactive seminars and public engagement activities.

The most recent dialogue was with the residents of Tabuan Desa in Kuching for the proposed site at Lorong Keranji 4F1 on July 19 this year. The residents have been made aware of the safe levels of emissions from telecommunications towers and they have ultimately agreed to the construction of the tower.

Sacofa said, it has engaged with the Malaysian Nuclear Agency to conduct the RF emissions tests and audit for 15 locations throughout Sarawak in 2017.

This year, it pointed out that an additional 26 locations have been audited and the RF radiation in all the 41 locations fell well below the exposure limits and comply to International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standards, which are set by the World Health Organisation and have been adopted as the mandatory standard set by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for members of the public.

It noted that findings from the audit proves that Sacofa telco towers performed at a level far better than the minimum international and Malaysian standard. In fact, it highlighted that the radiation is comparable to the low emissions of a table lamp or a TV.

Sacofa managing director, Zaid Zaini, said: “Based on the findings of this assessment by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, we strongly believe that the presence of the RF radiation emitted by the antennas from our telecommunication towers with the present loads and the background radiation would not lead to any harmful radiation exposure to the public.

“Additionally, Sacofa is in full compliance with local regulations on the minimum setback distances from towers to residential and commercial buildings.

“We understand the concerns from the public regarding the safety aspect of telco towers and we aim to provide the best service to the public as the State’s ICT enabler within the parameter of health and safety.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to engage with the public via multiple platforms, offering information with the utmost transparency.”

Speaking at the seminar was CISSPR Sdn Bhd’s Chee Lay Heng, a premier RF, EMF, EMC and safety services and solutions provider in Malaysia that specialised in test and measurement, projects and consultancy.

Also invited as a speaker was Roha Tukimin, Research Officer and Manager of the NonIonising Radiation Group of the Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Closing remarks were made by the Resident of Limbang, Ir Ahmad Denney Ahmad Fauzi, who read the text of speech of Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Sarawak.