Millwrights/Welders with Pacemakers

Hi,

I am a Red Seal Millwright and CWB Certified Welder in BC, Canada. I work at a local pulp mill in BC as a millwright

I received my implant in Dec/2013 and have been on disability benefits since then.

My employer states they cannot have me on site at all, due to potentiality of risk.

I am looking for as much information as I can get on Magnetic Interferences with Pacemakers.

I am fighting to keep my job at this point and need information so my union and employer can better understand what I can and cannot do.

Please help as information is knowledge???

4 Comments

Millwright.

by Rogue427 - 2014-09-04 09:09:58

I'm a electrician and millwright with a ICD-PM. I went round and round with my employer over this. Finally told them I was getting a lawyer. It took many meetings and calls to finally get my job back. I work for Tyco, a large factory with many welders and other machines. When I work on a welder I just step back when they weld. Most problems are the controls. The company bought me a OSUN meter to check everything, until some lowlife took it. The OSUN works good. Two feet from the welder and it would light up. There is one fellow on this site that welds with his. As long as you don't stick the PM right by the EFI or RFI you will be ok. Haven't been by the bus bar yet. Been back with my job for three months now and no trouble. OSUN meter bottom right of this web sight. Send me a pm if you need more info.

M/W PM

by D$Heartman - 2014-09-04 11:09:04

My company is unwilling to get any EMF testing done, my cardiologist maintains that I am not to work near any EMF source or even from heights. His justification is potentiality of risk.

My union is trying to get the company to talk, with no luck and I have also requested lawyers through my union to act. Nothing??

Very frustrating

EMF Effects Non Detectable Thus Far

by PJinSC - 2014-09-05 10:09:36

I worked at a nuclear power plant for over a year after getting my CRT-P (note: not a defibrillator, so let that be a disclaimer) and saw no effect of being around the big power generators or in any of the electrical distribution rooms or even in the switchyards (232kV and 525kV). I was also around welding operations but as an observer only, never got inside 4 ft from the arc, but was around welding leads in use. The security metal detectors, bomb sniffers and x-ray never affected me. I reported to Security that I had a device, and they knew not to place the wand over the PM site, but then I tried going through the metal detector and had no effect, so that became my preferred method. They said it was my choice. (Never set the detector off, either, and never have at airports.)

Have you provided your company and union information from your PM manufacturer? Mine is a Boston Scientific and they have a lot of good info on their website. Yet even they tend to CYA to the conservative. Lawyers....

welding with icd

by sacsgokartman - 2014-10-09 07:10:02

hello i weld and i have never had anything go wrong so far .i had my implant in four years now and everything is fine i looked up a research paper on welding and and pacemakers it was done by a welder and a few dr`s it was in england and nothing went wrong there aswell. hell if you weld just weld until you can`t weld no more.

You know you're wired when...

You have rhythm.

Member Quotes

I had a pacemaker when I was 11. I never once thought I wasn't a 'normal kid' nor was I ever treated differently because of it. I could do everything all my friends were doing; I just happened to have a battery attached to my heart to help it work.