National Radon Safety Month

Along with the start of the new year, January brings us National Radon Safety Month. Similarly, the final week of January is when the CDC holds Radon Awareness Week. Either way, the start of the new year is always the best time to take some time to think about radon. This applies to households just as much as it applies to the workplace. In fact, the threat of radon can be even greater in some workplaces than it is at home. To make sure your business is able to recognize and utilize National Radon Safety Month when January rolls around, let’s take a closer look at the importance of radon testing and what actions employers can take to protect their employees from being exposed to radon. 

What is Radon?

The first step is learning what radon is because most people have heard about radon but don’t know much about it. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that is produced when uranium makes its home in soil, rock, or water breaks down. From there, it’s able to seep into homes and buildings of all types. It doesn’t matter if those buildings or old or new, nor does it matter if those buildings have basements. Any type of construction gap or crack in the floors or walls of a building can allow radon to seep in undetected. Even electrical wires, sump pits, and service pipes can serve as avenues for radon to find its way into buildings. Since it’s considered a radioactive element, exposure to significant radon levels can be considered dangerous to someone’s health. 

Threat of Radon in the Workplace 

According to reports from the Environmental Protection Agency, high levels of radon can be found in all 50 states. There is no geographic area that is immune to radon or fully safe from it. As mentioned, buildings of all types and ages can be susceptible to radon intrusion. Therefore, all workplaces need to be aware that radon exposure is one possible threat to employee health and safety that can’t be ignored. 

Anyone who breathes in air with high levels of radon or drinks water that contains radon over an extended period of time will be vulnerable to lung damage, as well as lung cancer. In fact, radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in those who don’t smoke. Those who are exposed to higher levels of radon or who are exposed to radon for extended periods of time are the most vulnerable. Needless to say, smokers who are also exposed to radon regularly have an even greater chance of developing lung cancer. 

Unfortunately, radon is colorless and odorless, meaning a person could be breathing it in and have no way of knowing. The effects of radon can also take a long time to show up, at least depending on the level of exposure. This means a person may not get sick right away and become alert to the fact that they are being exposed to radon. This reinforces the importance of people having their homes tested for radon regularly and the need for employers to do the same in the interest of protecting employees from an invisible safety risk. 

Employer Responsibilities 

In the workplace, employers are always responsible for making sure that employees aren’t working in an area that has high levels of radon. This is covered under the Health & Safety at Work Act of 1974, which makes employers responsible for the health and safety of employees. There have been subsequent laws that specify the duty to employers to ensure radon levels stay below a specific threshold. There are also state and local laws in some places that place more specific testing and mitigation regulations on certain types of commercial properties. 

There are certain situations in which radon testing becomes mandatory. For instance, if employees are required to work in a basement for at least one hour per week, radon testing must be carried out. Likewise, if a workplace is in an area in which 1% of properties have reported radon, it must be tested. Needless to say, these are circumstances in which testing for radon becomes obvious. But even when it’s not clear that radon testing is needed, it’s still in everyone’s best to test anyway. The bottom line is that employers must consider radon to be a potential hazard to the health and safety of workers. If there are unhealthy levels of radon in the workplace, the onus is on the employer to discover it and do something about it. 

Assess, Measure, Act, Monitor 

The best thing an employer can do when it comes to radon is be proactive and follow a regimen. This should be similar to the way other workplace health and safety hazards are handled. This means a four-step process of assessing, measuring, acting, and monitoring.  

First, assess whether a particular workplace is more at risk of radon than others. For instance, if employees spend time working in a basement. This also requires finding out if there are buildings nearby that have high levels of radon. These factors can impact the frequency and urgency in which radon is measured. Naturally, testing for radon is how you measure if the radon levels are unsafe or not.  

Based on the results of that radon testing, an employer may need to be taken to inform employees of the risk and take steps to mitigate it. The last step is to monitor how radon levels may have changed because of any mitigation methods. This is done by creating a regular testing schedule to ensure radon levels are monitored closely. 

Testing for Radon 

How should employers test for radon? It’s not as difficult as you might think. It’s possible to buy indoor air quality monitors that collect data on the radon levels in the air. However, make sure those monitors are testing the air on an ongoing basis rather than taking a snapshot of the current air quality. Keep in mind that radon levels can fluctuate over time. You don’t want to develop a false sense of security because a one-time test came back low or overreact because the radon levels were uncharacteristically high. 

If your business is using the latest workplace safety software or smart tools, there are air quality monitors that can connect to a safety management system. This makes it easy to track changes in radon levels over a period of time. If there are patterns or spikes, you’ll know about them. Equally important, if radon levels increase to unsafe levels, you will know as soon as possible so that you can start to implement mitigation techniques, even if that just means clearing employees from certain areas of the workplace that are unsafe. 

Dealing with High Radon Levels 

If it turns out there are high levels of radon in the workplace, what can be done? The exact measures can depend on the situation and the seriousness of the problem. However, properly ventilating an area is usually the best remedy. In some cases, this can be as simple as opening a window and ventilating an area naturally. If that’s not an option, it may be necessary to implement a less natural air filtration or ventilation system.  

Of course, even if radon levels haven’t reached an unsafe level, it doesn’t hurt to take a proactive approach. Employers who are cognizant of the threat of radon can make sure all areas of the workplace have good circulation and proper ventilation. This is particularly important in basements and areas where normal air circulation can be a challenge. If there is any doubt about the safety or an area or the proper steps to mitigate a radon problem, always consult a professional. 

The Risk of Ignoring Radon 

What happens if a business ignores the threat of radon in the workplace or isn’t aware that there is a problem? As mentioned, the long-term health of employees is the most serious consequence. Eventually, employees who are exposed to radon regularly will pay a price. If word gets out about employees who are sick because they were exposed to radon at work, that is likely to have negative consequences for the reputation of that business. Obviously, this pales in comparison to the importance of employee health and safety, but it should be a motivating factor in businesses treating radon as a potentially serious workplace hazard. 

Stay Ahead with the Right Software 

The best way to stay ahead of radon or any other safety hazard is by having the right safety management software in place. The best EHS software can help any business stay on top of every workplace health and safety hazard. With the right system, radon will be on your list of workplace hazards and all testing and mitigation tactics can be properly scheduled. As a result, you’ll be certain if radon is creating a serious hazard for employees so you can act before it’s too late. The right software can do the same thing for every other safety hazard, ensuring a safe work environment for everyone.