Static Electricity/Pacemaker - Standards for static electricity generation

[prephil]

Does anyone know if there are standards for static electricity generation and how it could potentially affect pacemakers?
Working on an unwinding machine that feeds a plastic web into another machine. There is a liner that is separated from the processed web and is wound onto a waste reel. One of our technicians got a static shock when accessing this part of the machine in the past. Therefore I put up a label in the area as per the below:
The customer health and safety representative was in our premises yesterday and questioned if this sign should be on the machine. I have actually come across this sign in the past in some manuals and decided it was worth adding although I don’t seem to have any concrete information regarding static thresholds. Her argument is that this could affect their hiring process, i.e. some of their existing employees might not be able to work on this new machine or persons interviewing may not be able to be hired if they had a pacemaker but I’m guessing that this would not be a question that one would be allowed to ask in an interview.

 

[Al Rosen]

I think you're in the wrong place to ask about this, but look at these.
Why ESD does not affect pacemaker?
Devices that May Interfere with ICDs and Pacemakers
Effects of External Electrical and Magnetic Fields on Pacemakers and Defibrillators: From Engineering Principles to Clinical Practice

 

[dgrainger]

It will depend on the local health and safety regulations.
In you're UK based take a look at HSE - Electricity

 

[CharlieUK]

You should look at clause 1.5.2 of Annex I of the Machinery Directive and §223 in the Guide (DocsRoom - European Commission) which states:
§223 Unwanted static electricity
Section 1.5.2 deals with risks due to unwanted static electric charge that can build up in
machinery or machinery parts, mainly due to friction between the parts of the machinery
or between the machinery and workpieces, materials or fluids used or produced by the
machinery. Static charge may also be created in ungrounded metal parts by induction in
an electric field.
When a person comes into contact with or approaches a charged part, an electric
discharge current can flow through the body to the earth. The resulting physiological
effects depend mainly on the size of the contact area, the amount of discharge energy
and the amplitude and frequency of the current. These effects can be merely annoying
or painful or can have life-threatening consequences. The effect of surprise can
contribute to the risk of an accident. Discharge of static electricity can also ignite a fire or
trigger an explosion – see §227 and §228: comments on sections 1.5.6 and 1.5.7.
Discharge of static electricity can also damage electronic circuits in control systems or
impede their correct functioning, leading to hazardous situations.