Magnet Safety

• Physical injury resulting from finger(s) or body part placement between attractive forces (i.e., between two strong magnets or between a magnet and metal).
• Physical injury from accidental ingestion of very small magnets can result in severe injury and emergency surgery.
• Strong magnetic field producing magnets can affect pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and other implanted medical devices.
• Some rare earth magnets can be very hard and brittle. Some can peel, crack, shatter and chip if exposed to friction or hard forces. Eye protections shall be worn when handling magnets. Avoid drilling and grinding these types of materials, which can result flammable dust.
• Strong magnetic field producing magnets can damage magnetic media such as credit cards and ID cards. Some computer and video monitors may also be affected.
• Strong magnetic field producing magnets can affect GPS devices and internal compasses of smartphones, as well as compasses and magnetometers of aircraft.
• Some rare earth magnets can rust or corrode in the presence of moisture. The strength of these may be affected by long-term placement underwater, outdoors or in a moist environment. Be mindful of how this can affect downstream processes dependent upon the magnet.
• Temperature can affect the properties of some rare-earth magnets, especially high heat. Be mindful of how this can affect downstream processes dependent upon the magnet.

A "high magnetic field" refers to a magnetic field that is significantly stronger than typically encountered in everyday life. It's defined in terms of the Tesla (T) unit, where strong fields are considered to be from 1.5 to 10 T. More specifically, a high magnetic field typically requires specialized facilities and equipment for generation and utilization

High magnetic fields are crucial in various fields, including:

• Medical diagnostics: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) utilizes strong magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the body.
• Drug discovery: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) uses strong magnetic fields to study the structure and properties of molecules.
• Materials science: High magnetic fields are used to study the properties of materials under extreme conditions, including their behavior under high pressure or low temperatures.
• Basic research: High-field research helps to understand the fundamental nature of materials and phenomena. 

It is critical for personnel with cardiac implants or ferromagnetic metallic implants to understand hazards associated with magnetic fields before beginning work with magnetic field producing equipment.  Strong magnetic fields have been documented as having the capability to interfere with these personal medical devices.

Magnetic field production poses an additional risk of injury to all lab personnel if the field produced is forceful enough to create projectiles through the attraction between ferrous items and the magnet.  

When working with this type of equipment, users should also keep aware to prevent damage to magnetic media such as ID cards, cellular devices, and hard drives.

Laboratories utilizing magnetic field producing equipment shall place prominent warning signage on entry doors to applicable areas, alerting all university staff and visitors.

• Laboratory supervisors of labs with this equipment shall provide and keep documentation of training to lab personnel and students working with equipment which includes:
• The hazards of strong magnetic fields
• Work practices to avoid injury while working with and around strong magnetic fields
• How to recognize signage and the demarcation of area(s) with this equipment
• Measures taken in the event of incident, accidental exposure, or injury from procedures with this equipment