New legislation requires employers in high radon areas to test for this cancer-causing gas
New radiation protection legislation requires all employers in high radon areas to test their workplace for the radioactive gas radon. Where levels are above the national reference level of 300 Becquerel per metre cubed, employers are then required to carry out work to reduce these levels.
In Ireland, up to 300 cases of lung cancer each year are linked to Radon, which is a serious public health hazard. Employers now have responsibility to ensure that their employees are protected from exposure to this radioactive gas. Radon testing in workplaces is simple and inexpensive and, where necessary, reducing high radon levels in a building is also straightforward. The EPA and the HSA are working in partnership to support employers in implementing this legislation.
In addition to the existing general duties on employers to address radioactive hazards, this new legislation provides employers with clear testing requirements for radon gas in their workplaces. The Authority looks forward to continued collaboration with the EPA in highlighting radon gas exposure in workplaces and supporting the ongoing work of the National Radon Control Strategy Co-ordination Group. Our inspectors will continue to raise awareness during their inspections of the potential for radon gas exposures and the need for appropriate risk assessments. We will continue to support employers by providing information and through our on-line risk assessment tool BeSMART www.BeSMART.ie, which includes radon as a hazard.