Employers Obligations:

  • Employers have a responsibility to ensure that they are not exposing their employees to excessive levels of radon – more than 400 Bq/m3.
  • Testing must carried out for 3 months in accordance with the  EPA(Office of Radiological Protection) workplace testing protocol
  • The legislation regulating radon is The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and The Radiological Protection Act, 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Order, updated in 2000 by Statutory Instrument 125 of 2000.

To test for radon you will need:

  • 1 detector for each ground floor office (including basements).
  • Open plan offices – 1 detector for every 200 sq. m. of floor area.
  • Warehouses / Production areas – 1 detector for every 400 sq. m. of floor area.
  • Toilets, storerooms or other unoccupied rooms need not be tested.
  • Canteens and meeting rooms should be tested.
  • Work areas or warehouses that are open to the outside with good airflows are not required to be tested.

If you find that you have high radon levels the remedial work can normally be carried out without disruption to daily work activities. Typically in offices, schools and hospitals work activities continue as normal while radon remedial works are carried out. The installation of an active radon sump rarely takes more than a day.

Feel free to contact Eugene Monahan at 087 2808492 for advise regarding workplace testing or remediation.