Study on good air at the workplace: Participation and radon measurement

A BfS study aims to measure the radon concentration in various workplaces

Ergonomic office furniture, company sports, family-friendly working hours – there are many ways for businesses to distinguish themselves as an attractive place to work in the competition for skilled workers. Anyone who feels strongly about protecting the health of their employees should also give some thought to radon as an indoor contaminant.

Employers can take advantage of a current study by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), which is seeking to enhance knowledge of the radon situation in Germany by offering free measurements of the radon activity concentration at some 2,000 workplaces.

Radon as a lung cancer risk

Radon is a radioactive gas found in soils all over Germany. Small leaks in a building's baseplate or basement walls are enough for the gas to find its way into the building. If this happens on a larger scale, the building's users will inhale increased levels of radon on an ongoing basis and suffer a greater risk of lung cancer as a result.

Increased radon levels in buildings can occur anywhere in Germany. They are most common in semi-mountainous regions and usually affect the basement and ground floor. Useful countermeasures include good ventilation and structural measures to prevent radon from entering the building.

Manufacturing, estate agents or catering – the study takes all sectors into consideration Source: xartproduction/Stock.adobe.com

All sectors can take part

The free measurements are available to employers from all sectors – from industrial companies to sole traders. There is only one prerequisite: they must have workplaces on the ground floor or in the basement. Only premises that have a legal obligation to determine the radon concentration are excluded from participation. For example, a measurement obligation applies in what are known as radon precautionary areas.

In general, up to two selected rooms can be tested per business. This gives participating employers a valuable indication of whether radon levels are high at their business, for example, and whether they need to adopt countermeasures for the sake of their employees' health.

Representative selection of participants

Study participants are selected by the BfS with a view to considering regions and sectors as representatively as possible. Participating businesses receive the measuring devices by post and set them up themselves.

The devices require no power supply and emit neither light nor sound. After a year, they are sent back to the BfS for analysis, and the BfS then sends the participants their measurement results along with an evaluation. The collected data will be anonymised for its scientific evaluation as part of the study.

Full details of participation requirements, how to apply, the measurement procedure, and data protection can be found at www.bfs.de/radon-at-work. Apply now – registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.