What are an employer’s legal obligations regarding radon?

• Exposure to natural radiation sources in the workplace is governed by the Radiological Protection Act, 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Order, 2000 (Statutory Instrument 125 of 2000)
• This legislation requires employers or self-employed individuals to measure radon gas concentrations when they are directed to do so by the RPII
• It also sets a national Reference Level for radon gas in a workplace of 400 bequerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³)
• When the national Reference Level is exceeded, employers must take measures to protect the health of workers
• Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, every employer has a general duty to identify hazards in the workplace to minimise them. According to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), all indoor workplaces in High Radon Areas located at ground floor or basement level must be measured for radon.

Which workplaces are most at risk?

Two categories of workplace are more likely to have high radon levels:

• Indoor workplaces located in High Radon Areas:
  • The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has stated that all such workplaces must have radon measurements carried out to assess the risk.
  • By law, these measurements can only be carried out by approved radiation measurement services
  • Since workplaces which are not in High Radon Areas can also be affected by the build up of radon gas, the RPII recommends that all employers should consider having radon measurements carried out in their indoor workplace
  • To help employers plan a radon survey of their workplace, the RPII has produced a booklet Planning Radon Surveys in Workplaces – Guidance Notes.
• All underground workplaces, such as mines and caves:
  • Radon has long been recognised as a hazard in this category of workplace
  • Employers with staff working underground are required to take measures to protect their employees
  • To assist such employers, the RPII has produced a booklet Radon in Underground Workplaces- Guidance Notes for Employers which provides advice on protecting underground workers.

Outdoor workplaces – e.g. agriculture, transport, construction, fishing – are unaffected by high levels of radon, and do not need to be measured.