Compare Radon Tests for Canadian Workplaces and Public Buildings

Compare the three approaches

For an initial long-term radon assessment, choose a professional service if outside setup, interpretation and recommendations are required; Manitoba says some companies provide all three, while DIY kits and electronic monitors are user-operated.[1][2][3][6]

DIY long-term test kit

• Setup: Staff follow the kit instructions and manage placement.[1][2]
• Interpretation: Plan for staff or a separately contracted professional to interpret the results for the building.
• Follow-up: Define responsibilities for workplace-specific reporting, recommendations, retesting and post-mitigation support before testing.

C-NRPP-certified measurement professional

• Setup: Manitoba says some companies send a trained technician to perform the test.[2]
• Interpretation: The technician may interpret the result and make recommendations where indicated.[2]
• Follow-up: Published guidance does not define the report, delivery time, retesting fees or continuing support included with a professional service.[1][2][3]

C-NRPP performance-tested electronic monitor

• Setup: An electronic monitor is purchaser-operated. For long-term home measurements, Health Canada says the model should have passed C-NRPP performance testing.[1][3][6]
• Interpretation: Plan for staff or a separately contracted professional to turn the measurements into a workplace-specific conclusion.
• Follow-up: Plan separately for formal reporting, recommendations and post-mitigation testing.

Use the public-building measurement plan

Health Canada’s Guide for Radon Measurements in Public Buildings applies to workplaces, schools and other buildings with prolonged occupancy. Its four-hour occupancy criterion also applies to public-building rooms; it is not confined to homes.[7]

The guide calls for measurements in each occupied room at basement level, or on the ground or lowest occupied floor where appropriate. Its annex addresses rooms in contact with the ground or crawl space and coverage of the building footprint. Larger rooms need one detector for each 200 m², with quality-control detectors planned separately. Rooms expected to become occupied should also be considered.[7]

HVAC schedules can produce differences between occupied and unoccupied hours. Where that matters, ask a C-NRPP measurement professional to design the measurement and interpretation strategy. A single home kit or a brief monitor reading should not stand in for a building-wide plan.[7]

Set the measurement period and response path

For public buildings, Health Canada recommends a test lasting at least three months during the heating season. Short-term measurements alone are unsuitable for deciding the initial need for mitigation.[7]

BC Lung Foundation recommends long-term measurement for a first test and for deciding whether mitigation is required.[6] Take Action on Radon requires listed long-term kits to be suitable for 91 days or more, while RDCO requires at least 91 days for its program detector.[3][5]

Where operations allow, Manitoba suggests testing during colder months and gives October through April as an example; RDCO says testing is most effective in colder months when windows are closed.[2][5] Longer measurement is useful because radon concentrations can vary by season, day, building, floor and room.[2]

If a result exceeds 200 Bq/m³, RDCO reports that Health Canada recommends working with a certified radon mitigation professional.[5] The initial proposal should identify who will interpret the result and arrange any required follow-up measurement.

Verify credentials and equipment

• DIY kit: Check whether the supplier appears on Take Action on Radon’s vetted-provider list. The organization says listed kits and professionals are approved or certified through C-NRPP, which operates with Health Canada oversight.[3]
• Measurement service: Request the professional’s C-NRPP credential and the name of the person who will perform the work. Take Action on Radon directs users to C-NRPP-certified professionals.[3]
• Electronic monitor: Verify the exact make and model against C-NRPP’s performance testing rather than assuming every digital monitor qualifies.[1][3] Check the Take Action on Radon page for models Health Canada has recalled.[3]

What to confirm with each provider

Base the scope on Health Canada’s public-building guide, then obtain a written proposal covering the property, staff responsibilities and reporting needs.[7] Check any province-specific workplace requirements separately; this article does not establish a nationwide obligation to test every workplace.

• Coverage: Obtain the detector count, named rooms and floors, reasons for each location, excluded spaces and cost of additional detectors.
• Measurement controls: Ask how building and HVAC operation will be documented, how detectors will be protected from movement or interference, and whether duplicates, blanks or other quality controls are included.
• Deliverables: Request a sample report or written specification covering room identifiers, test dates, results, interpretation, limitations, recommended actions, file format and delivery date.
• Total price: Itemize equipment, laboratory analysis, shipping, technician time, travel, taxes and lost- or damaged-device charges. Take Action on Radon’s listed kit suppliers differ on whether laboratory fees and return postage are included.[3]
• Retesting: Confirm who pays for an invalid test, what additional detectors cost and whether post-mitigation measurement is separate.
• Contract terms: Obtain written conditions for rescheduling, cancellation, refunds, warranty, renewal and service levels.

Choose according to internal capacity

• C-NRPP-certified measurement professional: Use a technician-led service when setup, interpretation and recommendations must come from an outside specialist.[2][3] Confirm the exact building coverage and deliverables in the quote.
• Vetted DIY long-term kit: Consider this option when staff can follow setup instructions, handle return logistics and implement a separately defined building-wide measurement plan.[1][2][3]
• C-NRPP performance-tested electronic monitor: Consider this purchaser-operated option when the organization can provide or contract for the interpretation and reporting needed to support a decision.[1][3][6]

If staff cannot define placement, records or next steps, involve a certified professional rather than expecting the detector to supply those parts of the assessment.[2][3]

References

1. Testing your home for radon – Canada.ca (canada.ca, 2025)
2. Radon | Health | Province of Manitoba (mb.ca)
3. Order a Radon test kit – Take Action on Radon (takeactiononradon.ca)
5. Radon testing | RDCO (rdco.com)
6. Radon – BC Lung Foundation (bclung.ca)
7. Health Canada — Guide for Radon Measurements in Public Buildings (canada.ca)