HSE to Assess Asbestos Management in Schools

Asbestos was widely used as a building material and especially for fireproofing and insulation in buildings built between 1950 and the mid 1980’s. Any building built before 2000 can contain asbestos.

The HSE have announced that from September 2022 they will be carrying out inspections at primary and secondary schools. They have confirmed that the inspections will be assessing how schools are managing the risks from asbestos within the school to make sure they are meeting their duty to manage requirements under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Responsibility for managing the risks falls to those responsible for maintenance or repair of the premises.  This is usually the employer.

Schools have been advised to review their current practices to make sure they are meeting the requirements. In particular they are required to:

• take reasonable steps to find out if there are asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in the school premises, and if so, the 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 above
• assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified
• prepare an asbestos management plan (AMP) that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed
• take the necessary steps to put the plan into action
• periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements, and act on the findings, so the plan and arrangements remain 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

Should you suffer an accident at work or develop an illness due to exposure to asbestos, chemical or allergen at work, please feel free to contact our Personal Injury team who have over 30 years’ experience of helping people recover compensation on 01270 762325 or PI@poolealcock.co.uk. We are happy to help.