Question 17918 — work

Summary

Mr. Christophe Proença draws the attention of the Minister of Labor and Solidarity to the consequences for tourist caves of the regulations relating to the calculation of worker exposure doses to radon. The decree of November 16, 2023 relating to the methods of calculating effective doses and equivalent doses resulting from the exposure of people to ionizing radiation modified the calculation methods applicable in particular to workers exposed to radon. The application of higher dose coefficients can lead to a significant increase in the dose calculated for the same exposure and, consequently, a significant reduction in the authorized presence time of employees in cavities. This situation is particularly worrying for tourist caves, whose operating conditions and morphological, geological characteristics and aerological conditions are very different from one site to another. Tourism and underground heritage professionals do not dispute the need to protect employees against the risks linked to exposure to radon. However, they warn of the fact that a uniform application of these coefficients could not sufficiently take into account the specificities of underground environments and have significant consequences on the sustainability of certain operations, particularly in rural areas, as well as on jobs directly and indirectly linked to this activity. The Council of State, in its decision of July 13, 2026 No. 490924 and 500756, partially annulled the contested provisions. In particular, he judged that the ministerial authorities having taken certain measures were not competent to establish the methods for calculating effective doses and the coefficients applicable to specific workplaces. He also canceled the refusal to repeal certain provisions of the decree of May 15, 2024 and ordered the ministers concerned to proceed with their repeal within two months. This decision therefore constitutes an important step in legal terms, but it does not resolve, in itself, the fundamental question raised by professionals, which is that of the adaptation of the regulations to the realities of tourist caves. Future regulations will have to determine the calculation methods applicable to these workplaces while guaranteeing an appropriate level of protection for employees. Thus, he asks what follow-up the Government intends to give to the decision of the Council of State of July 13, 2026 and, in particular, what regulatory measures it plans to take in this context, and if the Representatives of the tourism and underground heritage sector will be involved in the development of these new provisions, so that the specificities of the different cavities are taken into account and a balance can be sought between the necessary protection of workers exposed to radon and the preservation of a tourist and heritage activity representing several thousand jobs in France.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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