Management of Asbestos in School Buildings
New report published by the HSE
Report
This report offers a concise overview of the key discoveries stemming from HSE inspections conducted during the 2022/23 period. The assessments revolved around how schools are:
- Effectively handling the risks associated with asbestos within their school premises;
- Fulfilling their legal obligations as per the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012; and
- Intended for individuals responsible for overseeing school facilities, including local authorities, headteachers, maintenance personnel, academy trusts, and governing bodies.
The majority of schools demonstrated effective management of asbestos within their structures. However, a small portion of schools (7%) exhibited significant shortcomings in their systems, leading to the necessity of enforcement measures to address these issues.
In cases where enhancements were necessary, the report pinpoints common areas requiring attention. This includes ensuring that schools possess an updated survey that distinctly indicates the location of all asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
Furthermore, schools should establish a comprehensive asbestos management plan that clearly outlines responsibilities and timelines, including regular scheduled evaluations to monitor the state of asbestos-containing materials.
Individuals conducting tasks likely to disturb asbestos (such as builders, maintenance staff, and IT engineers) must undergo appropriate training and receive information about the whereabouts of ACMs before commencing their work.
It is advisable for schools to consider the insights presented in this report and reassess their asbestos management systems to ensure their ongoing effectiveness and consistent updates.
Key Findings
The inspections revealed that the majority of schools were in adherence to their legal obligations and had well-functioning mechanisms to oversee the condition of asbestos-containing materials.
A small subset of schools (7%) demonstrated notable deficiencies in their systems, necessitating the issuance of enforcement notices to rectify the issues. Most of these shortcomings were tied to improvements required in their management plans or surveys.
On only one occasion, a visit highlighted a potential asbestos exposure risk, leading to the issuance of prohibition notices. These notices prevented access to the affected areas until the asbestos was safely removed. These areas were restricted to boiler rooms inaccessible to pupils and teaching staff.
Instances where inspectors issued letters to address non-compliance primarily pertained to improvements needed in management systems. Key areas for enhancement encompassed:
- Schools lacking an up-to-date on-site survey that clearly delineates the asbestos location throughout the premises, including un-surveyed regions (presumed to contain asbestos);
- Registers not effectively indicating completion of remedial actions identified during surveys or updated records;
- Absence of a comprehensible and site-specific asbestos management plan; Irregular monitoring of the condition of asbestos-containing materials;
- Absence of incident procedures within asbestos management plans for handling unplanned asbestos disturbance or informing emergency services;
- Lack of defined roles, responsibilities, deputy roles, or contingency plans among school staff for asbestos management; and
- Failure to ensure that contractors submitting work tenders provide risk assessments, method statements, and evidence of asbestos awareness training.
It's important to note that although shortcomings were detected in the management systems of some schools, this didn't necessarily translate to actual asbestos exposure risks. These findings will be employed to shape future intervention strategies within the education sector and to pinpoint areas for enhancement in schools.
Asbestos Management Survey
Of the schools visited:
• 305 (78.6%) had a survey carried out by a UKAS-accredited surveyor;
• A further 61 schools (15.7%) had a survey carried out by a non-accredited surveyor whose credentials had been verified either via their qualifications or other checks (most commonly involving assurances of competence received from the local authority);
• 16 schools had a survey but had not made the relevant checks; and
• 6 schools did not provide any evidence that a survey had been conducted at all.
Asbestos Registers
Inspections included checking that:
• Schools had a readily accessible register including a number of key elements; and
• This register had been reviewed within the last 12 months.
Of the schools visited, 95% did have an asbestos register which could be accessed either physically or electronically and, in 91.2% of cases, the register had been reviewed within the last 12 months.
Roles and Responsibilities
The effective management of asbestos risks hinges on clear identification of staff members responsible, their thorough understanding of their roles, and efficient communication of these risks to others.
Among the visited schools, 94.3% had designated individuals assigned to asbestos-related tasks. In the majority of instances, these individuals were knowledgeable about their responsibilities and had received suitable training.
Training and Support for In-house Staff
In 36% of the schools visited, staff within the school (or from a shared facilities team whose responsibilities covered that school, among others) would sometimes carry out maintenance or refurbishment work that had the potential to disturb ACMs.
Management of Contractors
Of the schools visited, 90% ensure that external contractors are suitably asbestos trained and 95.7% ensure they have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. Most of the other important elements of the management of external contractors also score highly, as shown in Figure 8, with the lowest percentage relating to the existence of a permit-to-work or similar system (83.1%).
Read the full report here: Management of Asbestos in School Buildings 2022/23