Radon in the Workplace

The Radiation Protection Act specifies a reference value of 300 becquerels per cubic meter for common areas and workplaces, averaged over a calendar year. This is expressly not a limit value: if it is exceeded, measures must be evaluated and implemented. If the concentration remains above this level thereafter, the workplace must be reported to the competent authority, and the employees’ exposure must be assessed.

There is no mandatory testing requirement everywhere. It applies to workplaces in basements and on the ground floor in areas designated by a federal state as radon-prone areas, as well as to certain workplaces—regardless of the area—such as water treatment plants, underground facilities, exhibition mines, and radon spas. Measurements must be taken within 18 months of the start of operations or after the area has been designated.

For planning purposes, this means two things: First, the building’s location determines whether measurements are required at all. Second, the floor level determines which rooms are affected. Both factors must be considered before selecting the equipment, not after.

The EnoSense® RADON uses a pulse ionization chamber to measure radon levels in the range from 0 to 3,696 Bq/m³, which is many times the reference value. It also measures temperature and relative humidity, as both are needed to evaluate ventilation measures.

Unlike most sensors in the product line, it does not run on batteries. The ionization chamber requires a constant power supply; the device is powered via Power over Ethernet or 12 to 48 volts DC. This must be taken into account during electrical planning, while the measured values themselves are transmitted via EnOcean radio.

The operating temperature range is +10 to +50 degrees Celsius. For unheated basements, this is the limit that must be checked before issuing the request for proposals.