Managing Asbestos in Schools Update Sept 2014

The legal duty to manage asbestos is delegated to maintained schools through the scheme for financing schools. School leaders need to take action to ensure full compliance with the law.

Urgent action for all schools

  • If your current asbestos survey was conducted more than five years ago schools are recommended to organise a management resurvey .If your current survey, regardless of when it was conducted,includes ‘No access’ areas or does not cover all buildings on your school complex then surveys of these areas should be undertaken
  • Undertake a review of your school asbestos management plan. Use the council’s asbestos management plan template to record your school specific asbestos management arrangements. This means more than having a survey/register in place and requires proactive steps to manage asbestos in your school
  • Appoint a named person who will be responsible for, hold and actively manage the asbestos management plan
  • Introduce a robust signing in regime for all contractors and ensure that they are shown and acknowledge that they have reviewed the asbestos register before commencing any work
  • Where there are known or presumed asbestos containing materials (ACMs) ensure work does not take place until an appropriate method statement of work is produced and permit to work authorised
  • Ensure termly visual inspections of retained ACMs are conducted andrecorded by key trained staff and organise the annual visual inspection by a competent contractor, if this has not yet taken place
  • Arrange for all key personnel to attend asbestos awareness training
  • Include details of the asbestos management plan and emergency procedure in induction processes and keep staff informed
  • Undertake a refurbishment/demolition survey before commissioning any work involving an upgrade, refurbishment or demolition work
  • Seek professional/competent advice on all asbestos related matters
  • Complete and return the asbestos compliance monitoring request

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral and wasused extensively as a building material from the 1950s through to the 1990s. Asbestos is present in a large number of public buildings and many schools, built before 2000, still contain some form of asbestos. Asbestos which is in good condition and remains undamaged and undisturbed does not pose any significant risk to health if it is safely managed. However serious, often fatal diseases can be caused when asbestos fibres are released from materials become airborne and are inhaled.Despite updated asbestos regulations coming into force in 2012, asbestos is still the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK.

Who’s at risk from asbestos in schools?

The most likely way ACMs will create a risk in schools is when they are disturbed or damaged through maintenance, repair or construction activities. School facilities staff are a particular group at risk due to the nature of their work, eg drilling and fixing, and other contractors may be at risk while undertaking maintenance or installation work. If asbestos is disturbed during such work, there is a risk that fibres will be released and create risk to others in the school. Teachers and pupils are unlikely to be at risk in the course of their normal activities as long as asbestos is properly managed. However, they should not undertake activities that damage ACMs, such as pinning or tacking work to insulation board or ceiling tiles. Vandalism may also result in the release of asbestos fibres e.g. damage to asbestos panels caused by pupils kicking them. Asbestos containing materials can also deteriorate over time resulting in fibres being released.

Duty to manage asbestos

There are legal duties on those responsible for school buildings to ensure that the asbestos is effectively managed and that pupils, staff, contractors and visitors are properly protected The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 includes the 'duty to manage asbestos' in non-domestic premises. The law requires youto

  • Take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials ACMs in your school premises and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in
  • Presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not
  • Make, and keep up to date, a record of the location and condition of the ACMs or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos
  • Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified
  • Prepare an asbestos management plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed and take the necessary steps to put the plan into action
  • Periodically review and monitor the asbestos management plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up to date
  • Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them

Asbestos awareness training

Asbestos awareness briefings are available to book on sessionsoutline the steps required to implement a robust asbestos management plan and should be attended byleadership teams, business managers and facilities staff.New dates are now available to book in Sept, Oct, Dec and Jan.

What guidance and support is available?

For advice or support to manage asbestos in your school or to arrange a survey or visual inspection, pleasecontact corporate facilities management on 0207 525 3700 or the health and safety team on 0207 525 3484.

The council’s asbestos policy and school specific guidance, including the asbestos management plan template, are available on the Southwark website

School specific information and guidance is available on the HSEand DFE websites

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