Current status and scope
The official Mexican catalogue lists NOM-013-STPS-1993 as current. It establishes preventive and control measures in workplaces generating non-ionising electromagnetic radiation. It covers different source families and should not be confused with the regulation of ionising radiation.
Artificial optical radiation is one part of this scope. Non-ionising radiation as a whole does not have a single measurement quantity or assessment method. Source type, emissions and personal exposure determine the study. Equipment that does not produce radioactivity is not necessarily harmless to eyes, skin or other tissues under every possible operating condition.
Recognise sources and areas
Recognition identifies and marks sources, defines risk areas and establishes the type, magnitude and distribution of radiation. Include normal operations and planned situations in which protection changes, such as adjustment or maintenance activities.
For example, a closed enclosure may limit exposure during production while a technical task requires a different configuration to be assessed. The inventory should not describe both situations as identical. Records should identify who may access the area and under what conditions control is maintained.
Use appropriate measurement methods
The standard requires instruments and methods appropriate to the specific risks. An instrument designed for one frequency band or measurement quantity does not automatically assess every source. The report needs to state what was measured, by which method and under which operating conditions.
The regulatory tables must be interpreted according to their scope and quantities, without mixing irradiance, power density or other units. Supplementary technical recommendations do not independently replace Mexican duties. Competent personnel must select and interpret the applicable assessment criteria.
Controls and training
Prevention includes maintained safety devices, control of exposure duration and frequency, signs and hazard-specific personal protection. Training should explain the particular source and limitations of the controls. Generic protective glasses do not establish protection against every emission.
Follow-up should examine equipment changes, adjustments and deterioration of barriers, alongside health assessment related to exposure. This entry does not provide a simplified limit table or instructions for accessing dangerous emissions. Its purpose is to support organisation of an appropriate assessment that reflects actual workplace sources and tasks.
