Birmingham Commercial Radon Testing

Are you aware of the regulation that already exists for levels of radon in the workplace?

Employers and businesses alike are responsible for the health and safety of their workers, including providing an environment that is free of radon gas.

Regulations on health and safety at work require employers to assess all hazards. Therefore if you have basement offices or your premises are located in a radon affected area, an area where more than 10% of homes have high radon concentrations, then you are required by law to conduct radon tests on your properties to predict whether your employees' health is at risk..

In commercial properties, the Health & Safety Executive has the ability to enforce radon testing by sending Radiation Inspectors to ensure that workplaces have conducted radon risk assessments. For some sectors, enforcement is delegated to environmental health officers of local authorities.

Several prosecutions have been filed against Irish employers who failed to perform radon risk assessments.

We provide commercial radon tests and radon mitigation solutions that enable you to demonstrate your commitment to your employees' welfare and reduce the risk that radon will harm them.

A study conducted at Imperial College, London on occupational cancers estimated that radon exposure caused about 180 lung cancer deaths per year.

Radon concentrations inside a building depend on the ventilation and nature of the job. There can be a wide variation in radon levels within a large building, and personal risk varies according to the levels in the various areas in which staff spend most of their time. Radon levels should be measured in areas that reflect the different types of work environments in the building.

An existing building’s radon levels must be determined by placing a radon detector in the building before being sent to a laboratory for analysis. The Radon detector is small and discreet, and the whole process, including laboratory analysis, is very affordable. The fluctuations of radon levels are related to seasonal and occupational variations (e.g. how much air passes through windows open during the day), so taking these into account requires a three month period of time. The result is calculated as the amount of radon in the air and is measured in becquerels per cubic metre of air (Bq/m3).

As the number of radon detectors that you will require is dependent on the size, layout and usage of your building our team will be happy to advise you on what your requirements will be.

We can provide you with a variety of radon testing devices, such as passive radon detectors and electronic radon monitors so you are able to test your work environments or property portfolios efficiently. The majority of testing takes place in ground-floor rooms that are commonly used. It is not necessary to test other rooms on higher floors or rooms that are rarely used.

The level of Radon may fluctuate over time. Most often, it results from changes made to the building’s construction or from changes made to the heating and ventilation systems. It is thus imperative to keep radon in your routine risk assessment worksheets. Assessing whether you need to repeat the test in light of any changes. In addition, radon reduction systems may also fail with time, and radon levels ought to be checked each year if you have previously had one installed to lower high levels.

Whether you own a business or commercial property, whether it is a warehouse office factory school multi-unit housing complex, or any other type of property, you are well aware of the importance of implementing health and safety measures. It would never occur to you to neglect the installation of smoke alarms in your business, so why should you neglect the dangers of radon gas? The radon level in your premises can be easily and conveniently checked with GeoShield ‘s radon gas testing kits, which can be placed at locations throughout West Midlands and the surrounding areas.

Guidelines have been set by the government for the maximum amount of radon allowed in buildings. The Action Levels, as they are called, indicate the radon levels at which it is advised (or required, for commercial buildings) that you take action to reduce the concentration of radon in your property.

Whenever the radon level is detected as exceeding the 400 Bequerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3) level in any part of the building, the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRR99) will apply. Until a decision is made on whether radon levels can be reduced through engineering measures, you may have to immediately take steps to manage occupational exposure. Under IRR99, an employer must consult with a Radiation Protection Advisor (RPA), who has radon experience, regarding the best way to manage radon exposures. Looking at who is authorised to use what parts of the building and for how long, and also monitor usage times as well as display warning signs, etc. It may be necessary to close buildings with very high radon levels.

You will also need to hire an expert radon removal (remediation) contractor if you plan to introduce engineering controls that immediately reduce the radon exposures. The radon remediation consultant will advise you on the most cost-effective solution for your property. Such as installing a radon sump system or utilising air management techniques to reduce radon concentration in your building.

Once the radon remediation system has been installed you will repeat the radon tests to confirm that the levels of radon in the building has fallen below 400 Bq/m3, IRR99 will then no longer apply. If you have high levels of radon in your workplace, this is the best and most sensible approach to take. The cost of remediation will vary depending on the size and design of the building and the level of radon. However, many building managers are amazed at how inexpensive the work can be.

It is also important to note that IRR99 applies to places of work which might be considered radioactive, such as nuclear power plants, chemical plants, or hospital x-ray departments. A commercial building with radon concentrations above 400 bq/m3 is also regarded as radioactive.

In case your property’s radon levels are above the Action Level, our team can advise you on how to lower these levels.