Contents

1.Introduction

2.Legislation

3.Advice and Support for schools

4.Roles and Responsibilities

5.Asbestos Management Policy and Arrangements

6.Training Requirements

7.Planning and Precautions

8.Surveys - Identification of Asbestos

9.Labelling of Asbestos Containing Materials

10.Monitoring the Condition of Asbestos Containing Materials.

11.Actions after Surveys and Re-inspections

12.Preventing Disturbance of Asbestos Containing Materials

13.Asbestos Emergencies

14.Remediation Works to Asbestos Containing Materials

APPENDIX A - School Asbestos Management Flow Chart

Contacts
Corporate Health and Safety Team / 01228 221616
Capital Programmes and Property Team / 01228221115

1.Introduction

This safety advice note provides advice and guidance to schools in respect of their duty to manage Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs). It supports the County Council Safety Procedure No 29 – Management of Asbestos. Schools must ensure that they hold a copy of the procedure, this safety advice note and also their latest survey/ register and any supporting monitoring documentation. This information forms the Schools Asbestos Management Plan.

Asbestos is a fibrous, naturally occurring material that was used extensively in buildings due to its fire retardant and insulating properties (see examples in table below). It is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction and refurbishment of buildings due to its known hazardous properties and risks to health.

Asbestos product / What it was used for
Sprayed asbestos (limpet) / Fire protection in ducts and to structural steel work, fire breaks in ceiling voids etc.
Lagging / Thermal insulation of pipes and boilers
Asbestos insulating boards (AIB) / Fire protection, thermal insulation, wall partitions, ducts, soffits, ceiling and wall panels
Asbestos cement products, flat or corrugated sheets / Roofing and wall cladding, gutters, rainwater pipes, water tanks
Certain textured coatings / Decorative plasters, paints
Bitumen or vinyl materials / Roofing felt, floor and ceiling tiles

Health risks occur only when the material is disturbed or damaged. This can release tiny fibres into the air which if breathed in, cansettle in the lining of the lungs. Effects of exposure do not become apparent immediately and asbestos-related diseases (mainly cancers) can be diagnosed many years later.

Schools need to consider the types of activity that could potentially release fibres. These include, for example, demolition, accidental damage, vandalism, wear and tear, and intrusive works such as drilling holes, sawing or sanding material.

Workers most at risk to asbestos exposure are those undertaking intrusive works in buildings and include plumbers, electricians, IT cabling contractors and joiners, who may encounter asbestos during their normal day-to-day work, e.g. routing cables and pipes. It should also be remembered that those who occupy the building can also be at risk if the materials are disturbed enough to release asbestos fibres and the potential contamination is not controlled.

It is therefore vitally important that schools have robust plans and procedures in place.

2.Legislation

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) imposes a duty to manage and control the risks from exposure to asbestos in non-domestic premises by having suitable systems in place.

Put simply, anAsbestos Management Plan must be in place. This is will include

  • Identifying who is responsible for managing asbestos; - In the case of maintained schools this will be the local authority as the employer but it delegates responsibility for the day to day management arrangements to governing bodies. This is set out in the Corporate Health and Safety Procedure No. 29 – Management of Asbestos Reference to the schools local arrangements should be outlined in the Schools own Health and Safety Policy.
  • The asbestos register; – This is contained in your most recent surveyor re-inspection report which should be kept on site and shared with any contractors BEFORE they are allowed to commence any work. The County Council has funded and undertaken management and re-inspection surveys in all schools (except academies and independents) and these have been issued to schools and are hosted on the Atrium property database portal. A hard copy should be held in a suitable location to ensure it is available in school at all times. Asbestos registers will need to be updated whenever work affects asbestos materials so it is important to inform the Local Authority of any changes.
  • Plans for any work on asbestos materials;in the majority of cases, work with asbestos must only be undertaken by a licensed contractor[3]. Such work includes most asbestos removal, all work with sprayed asbestos coatings and asbestos lagging, and most work with asbestos insulation and asbestos insulating board (AIB).If not tested, some areas must be presumed to contain asbestos.Full asbestos safety precautions must be implemented before any work is carried out. Usually this means a further refurbishment/ demolition survey of the area concerned to check that the particular area is ACM free or treated with appropriate precautions then put into place.
  • The schedule for monitoring the materials' condition; Schools should ensure that at least termly visual monitoring is conducted and documented. A monitoring form is now provided for each school via the Atrium Property Portal.All schools should have a username and password for the portal. If you need login details you should contact
  • Communication mechanisms for staff and others – This includes arrangements for the labelling, sharing of information (register), emergency procedures and informing the Local Authority of any changes or proposed works.

3.Advice and Support for schools

The Local Authority Asbestos Co-ordinationrole is taken by the Contracts and Technical Manager within the Capital Programmes and Property Team. They are responsible for managing asbestos overall in premises under the control of the Council. Schools can get advice and guidance initially from theCorporate Health and Safety Team. You can contact the team on 01228 221616 (office hours) or email

4.Roles and Responsibilities

The Employer- Local Authority /Governing Body of Aided, Foundation, Academy schools

Employers have responsibility for ensuring that the schools for which they are the employer have an Asbestos Management Plan in place which complies with Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Where work is being commissioned directly by the Local Authority, the Capital Programmes and Property Team will ensure that proper regard is taken of CAR 2012, and all proper and reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that no building work, or work which breaches the fabric of the building, takes place without first undertaking a survey to establish the likely presence of asbestos.

Governing Body (Maintained Schools)

The Governing Body has overall responsibility for the school and is responsible for the procedures and practices and overall strategic management of the asbestos management plan.

Headteacher or nominated Deputy – (The Asbestos Coordinator)

The Asbestos Co-ordinatoris required to manage the day-to-day process of the Asbestos Management Plan. They are responsible for ensuring compliance with the agreed procedures. This may include liaison and communication withstaff, contractors, governors' premises sub-group and external consultants carrying out building workand implementingvisual condition monitoring. All work which entails a breach of the fabric of the building MUST be routed through the Asbestos Co-ordinatorduring planning stages and well before work is commenced on site.

Health and Safety Co-ordinator

The Health and Safety Co-ordinator has responsibility to monitor and review the effective planning, organisation and control of preventative and protective overall health and safety measures. They should also ensure that the building information files are kept up-to-date and that all asbestos test results, certificates and monitoring paperwork are held on file and copied to the Health and Safety Team so that the central asbestos database held by the Local Authority can be updated.

Health and Safety Representatives

Where Union-appointed Health and Safety Representatives exist, any procedures and protocols must be agreed with those individuals.

5.Asbestos Management Policy and Arrangements

School should ensure that their local school health and safety policy contains details of the arrangements for Asbestos Management. This will include appointing Asbestos –Coordinator for the school site. This role is usually the Headteacher or nominated deputy.

The Local Authority providescommunity and voluntary controlled schools with a model health and safety policy document which includes an arrangement for schools to follow. Formal systems and procedures,established using the recommendations from your latest survey, should back up your policy. These should include:

  • Sufficient staff, suitably trainedand competent to conduct any termly visual asbestos monitoring, including cover arrangements to ensure someone is always available to undertake this task.
  • Suitable planning and precautions to address any safety aspects when considering a building or refurbishment project. Early advice must always be sought where required.
  • Mechanisms to ensure thatstaff and contractors are aware of the presence of ACMs.
  • Any ACM’s are appropriately labelled.
  • Collaborative working arrangements between school staff, contractors, the local authority and others in relation to asbestos.

6.Training Requirements

Headteachers and Governing Bodies must ensure that all employees involved in the management and maintenance of school property or who are or who are liable to be exposed to asbestos have received adequate information, instruction and training according to the role they carry out. This would include site managers and caretakers.

In the case of Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools the Corporate Health & Safety Team through BOHS P405 trained staff provides expertise to the nominated Asbestos Coordinators in schools.

All externally sourced training in relation to asbestos awareness, as indicated below, must be delivered by an organisation or individual that is a UKATA member.

Information, instruction and training for asbestos awareness is intended to give employees the information they need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos during any normal work which could disturb the fabric of a building, or other item which might contain asbestos.

Awareness training should cover the following:

  • the properties of asbestos and its effects on health, including the increased risk of developing lung cancer for asbestos workers who smoke
  • the types, uses and likely occurrence of asbestos and asbestos materials in buildings and plant
  • the general procedures to deal with an emergency, e.g. an uncontrolled release of asbestos dust into the workplace
  • how to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos

Online learning (often referred to as e–learning) is increasingly used as a method of providing asbestos awareness training. HSE recognises the use of e-learning as a viable delivery method, among others, for asbestos awareness training, provided it satisfies the requirements of Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the supporting Approved Code of Practice L143 'Managing and working with asbestos'[1].

Some providers do offer UKATA accredited e-learning which is reasonably priced.

IMPORTANT–Asbestos Awareness training will not prepare workers, or self-employed contractors, to carry out work that will disturb asbestos. These workers require a higher level of information, instruction and training, in addition to asbestos awareness.

7.Planning and Precautions

Employers of building maintenance and repair workers are required to carry out a risk assessment and ensure safe systems of work are in place before undertaking any work which exposes, or is liable to expose employees to asbestos. However, in many cases, contractors will have little or no information about the premises where they will be working, and will not be aware if ACMs are present. Therefore it is extremely important that, before any work begins on your premises which could involve demolition or intrusive works, you and the employees and/or contractorare certain about the nature of the materials that may be exposed. If you are ever unsure about anything that you see whilst work is taking place on your premises that gives you cause to suspect that asbestos may have been exposed, you should contact the Corporate Health and Safety Team for further advice.

8.Surveys - Identification of Asbestos

The Local Authority have ensured that management surveys have been carried out in all maintained schools to ensure that we can identify any asbestos containing materials in our buildings;

  • If the building(s) was constructed after 1999 it can be assumed to be asbestos free due to restrictions that came into place prohibiting use of asbestos.
  • If the building was constructed prior to 2000 any readily identifiable asbestos containing materials (ACMs) must be identified through an Asbestos Management Survey. All contractors undertaking asbestos surveys and re-inspections in LA-controlled schools must be specialist contractors who hold UKAS accreditation to BS EN ISO17020 in the case of organisations, or BS EN ISO/IEC 17024 in the case of individuals for carrying out surveys for asbestos-containing materials with the known and potential asbestos containing materials recorded on an asbestos register.
  • A management survey will only identify readily accessible ACMs therefore prior to undertaking any work which will disturb the fabric of the building (if constructed before 2000) a Refurbishment / Demolition survey must be undertaken to identify any other ACMs so that appropriate remedial action can be taken to prevent asbestos exposure during the work. Remember - Only surveying companies that are UKAS accredited for asbestos surveying should be employed for this purpose.

9.Labelling of Asbestos Containing Materials

Labelling is used as a secondary means of identification of ACMs and suspect ACMs where it is practical to do so.

  • In non-sensitive areas (generally non-public areas), this will be by means of a HSE approved warning sign for asbestos-containing products as shown.
  • In sensitive areas (where it is desirable not to cause alarm to persons with limited knowledge of asbestos, including the public) labelling will be by means of yellow circular stickers for materials suspected as being ACMs and red circular stickers for materials proved to be ACMs by sampling.
  • You could also choose to display additional signage in sensitive areas as an extra precaution e.g. Please ensure you report to the Premises Manager before undertaking work in this area
  • For some ACMs, labelling will not be practical due to the nature or location of the ACM (e.g. external asbestos cement rainwater goods or asbestos-containing vinyl floor tiles).

Schools may also choose to depict and display asbestos information in additional ways, such as marking on CAD drawings/ plans. This can be useful when providing advice to visiting contractors

10.Monitoring the Condition of Asbestos Containing Materials.

ACMs can deteriorate or become damaged. Their condition must therefore be monitored regularly to detect any problems.

Formal re-inspection of ACMs by a UKAS accredited surveying company should be undertaken annually (or every two years for some lower risk ACMs). The County Council arranges this for maintained schools and the re-inspection reports, incorporating updated registers are published on the Atrium property database portal. Again a hard copy should be printed from the Atrium portal to ensure the latest survey is available at all times.

In addition schools must undertake and record basic monitoring of ACMs on a termly basis. Bespoke monitoring forms containing information from the school management surveys / re-inspection surveys are provided for this purpose on the Atrium Portal.

11.Actions after Surveys and Re-inspections

Any actions identified in the survey reports must be reviewed and addressed. A programme of removals has already taken place to address higher risk materials identified in previous school surveys but asbestos removal and remediation work will still be required. Such work must only be undertaken by a contractor licensed by the HSE’s Asbestos Licensing Unit (this is a legal requirement for most types of work) that is either a member of ARCA (Asbestos Removal Contractors Association) or of the ACAD (Asbestos Control and Abatement Division) of TICA (Thermal Insulation Contractors Association)

All contractors must hold UKAS accreditations to ISO 17025 for any of the following activities they undertake for Cumbria County Council:

  • The taking of air samples
  • The analysis of air samples (fibre counting)
  • The taking of bulk samples
  • The analysis of bulk samples
  • The 4-Stage clearance process (following asbestos removal work in an enclosure).

Any company used to oversee asbestos-related work by a removal contractor must be appointed by the school rather than by the asbestos removal contractor. Where the company is engaged to direct the work of the asbestos removal contractor (rather than just assess the work) then it must hold an Asbestos Licence for Supervisory Work from the HSE Asbestos Licensing Unit

A review of method statements should be undertaken so that the school is satisfied that work will be undertaken in a safe manner. The Council’s Health and Safety Team can be contacted for advice on this.

Where asbestos removal has been organised by the school it is essential that the County Council is informed so that the asbestos register can be maintained up to date. Copies of all relevant information including an asbestos clearance certificates and waste consignment notes should be sent to the Council’s Health and Safety Team.

12.Preventing Disturbance of Asbestos Containing Materials

The most likely cause of disturbing ACMs is during maintenance activities. The asbestos register must be drawn to the attention of visiting contractors and others who may work in close proximity to ACMs on site.