diff --git a/python/src/odin_data/meta_writer/hdf5dataset.py b/python/src/odin_data/meta_writer/hdf5dataset.py
index 9982fff46..dc06c7fa4 100644
--- a/python/src/odin_data/meta_writer/hdf5dataset.py
+++ b/python/src/odin_data/meta_writer/hdf5dataset.py
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 import logging
 from time import time
+from typing import Optional
 
 import h5py as h5
 import numpy as np
 
 
+def units(unit: str):
+    return {"units": unit}
+
+
 class HDF5CacheBlock(object):
     def __init__(self, shape, fillvalue, dtype):
         self.has_new_data = True
@@ -136,6 +141,7 @@ def __init__(
         cache=True,
         block_size=1000000,
         block_timeout=600,
+        attributes=None
     ):
         """
         Args:
@@ -150,7 +156,7 @@ def __init__(
                          or write directly to file
             block_size(int): See HDF5UnlimitedCache
             block_timeout(int): See HDF5UnlimitedCache
-
+            attributes(dict): A dict of attribute names and values to add to the dataset
         """
         self.name = name
         self.dtype = dtype
@@ -182,7 +188,9 @@ def __init__(
                 block_timeout=block_timeout,
             )
 
-        self._h5py_dataset = None  # h5py.Dataset
+        self.attributes = attributes or dict()
+
+        self._h5py_dataset: Optional[h5.Dataset] = None
         self._is_written = False
 
         self._logger = logging.getLogger("HDF5Dataset")
@@ -221,6 +229,10 @@ def add_value(self, value, offset=None):
         else:
             self._cache.add_value(value, offset)
 
+    def _add_attributes(self):
+        for attribute, value in self.attributes.items():
+            self._h5py_dataset.attrs[attribute] = value
+
     def write(self, data):
         """Write the entire dataset with the given data
 
@@ -255,6 +267,9 @@ def write(self, data):
                 return
 
         self._h5py_dataset[...] = data
+
+        self._add_attributes()
+
         self._is_written = True
 
     def prepare_data(self, data):
diff --git a/python/tests/test_hdf5dataset.py b/python/tests/test_hdf5dataset.py
index 615d3a87a..a0154efdf 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_hdf5dataset.py
+++ b/python/tests/test_hdf5dataset.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
 from odin_data.meta_writer.hdf5dataset import (
     HDF5UnlimitedCache,
     StringHDF5Dataset,
+    Int32HDF5Dataset
 )
+import tempfile
 
 
 class _TestMockDataset:
@@ -264,7 +266,8 @@ def test_string_types():
         "variable_utf_int", encoding="utf-8", cache=False
     )
 
-    with h5.File("/tmp/strings.h5", "w") as f:
+    temp_file = tempfile.TemporaryFile()
+    with h5.File(temp_file, "w") as f:
         variable_utf.initialise(
             f.create_dataset(
                 "variable_utf", shape=(1,), maxshape=(1,), dtype=variable_utf.dtype
@@ -302,11 +305,29 @@ def test_string_types():
         fixed_ascii.write("fixed_ascii")
         variable_utf_int.write(2)  # Check non-strings can be handled
 
-    with h5.File("/tmp/strings.h5", "r") as f:
+    with h5.File(temp_file, "r") as f:
         assert f["variable_utf"][0] == b"variable_utf"
         assert f["variable_ascii"][0] == b"variable_ascii"
         assert f["fixed_utf"][0] == b"fixed_utf"
         assert f["fixed_ascii"][0] == b"fixed_ascii"
         assert f["variable_utf_int"][0] == b"2"
 
-    os.remove("/tmp/strings.h5")
+
+def test_attributes_added():
+    dataset_with_units = Int32HDF5Dataset("test_dataset", cache=False, attributes={"units": "m"})
+
+    temp_file = tempfile.TemporaryFile()
+    with h5.File(temp_file, "w") as f:
+        dataset_with_units.initialise(
+            f.create_dataset(
+                "test_dataset", shape=(1,), maxshape=(1,), dtype=dataset_with_units.dtype
+            ),
+            0,
+        )
+
+        dataset_with_units.write(2)
+
+    with h5.File(temp_file, "r") as f:
+        attributes = f["test_dataset"].attrs
+        assert len(attributes.values()) == 1
+        assert attributes["units"] == "m"