PICKING UP A STATION : VOLTAGE FROM LOCAL RADIO TURNS NEW YORK CITY INTO ANTENNA

This article describes an unusual situation involving a bridge in New York City and a nearby AM radio station. After bridge painters started reporting that they were receiving electrical shocks when touching the Kosciuszko Bridge, it was soon discovered that radio waves from the 50,000 watt WQEW radio tower one mile away were the cause of the shocks. Though the shock wasn't a concern for normal users of the bridge, it was a nuisance for painters and other workers who needed to work on the bridge while standing on platforms other than the bridge itself. Experts employed a temporary fix-connecting a battery jumper cable to both the bridge and the man lift the workers stood on to paint, so as to equalize the electrical potential between the two surfaces and thereby prevent shock. Later, however, they discovered that what was meant only to be a temporary solution ended up being the only practical method of correcting the problem as well- along with a few other simple measures, such as wearing gloves. In addition to providing more specific details regarding the situation, the article suggests that those drafting contract documents involving similar work environments should include information about safe work practices when in the vicinity of a radio frequency energy fields.