Of the 33,600 schools in Britain, more than 75 per cent contain asbestos. The advice from HSE is that, so long as the asbestos is in good condition and not likely to be disturbed, it is better to manage it for the remaining life of the school rather than remove it. Because of this advice most of the asbestos remains in our schools and will have to be managed long into the future.
Although some schools and local authorities have effective systems of asbestos management, many do not.
This FAQ section aims to help schools and colleges understand their duties in relation to asbestos management.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos was a building material used extensively in Great Britain from the 1950s through to the 1990s.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
Serious, often fatal diseases can be caused when asbestos fibres are released from materials, becoming airborne and inhaled. On average, there is a 30–40 year latency period between exposure to asbestos fibres and the onset of disease.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
- Asbestos still kills around 5000 workers each year, this is more than the number of people killed on the road.
- Around 20 tradesman die each week as a result of past exposure
- However, asbestos is not just a problem of the past. It can be present today in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why it is important that you protect yourself now.
Asbestos can cause the following fatal and serious diseases:
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) and the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract (peritoneum). It is almost exclusively related to asbestos exposure and by the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal.
Asbestos-related lung cancer
Asbestos-related lung cancer is the same as (looks the same as) lung cancer caused by smoking and other causes. It is estimated that there is around one lung cancer for every mesothelioma death.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious scarring condition of the lung that normally occurs after heavy exposure to asbestos over many years. This condition can cause progressive shortness of breath, and in severe cases can be fatal.
Pleural thickening
Pleural thickening is generally a problem that happens after heavy asbestos exposure. The lining of the lung (pleura) thickens and swells. If this gets worse, the lung itself can be squeezed, and can cause shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest.
Where is asbestos found in schools?
Many schools, built before 2000, will contain some form of asbestos. Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) include:
- asbestos lagging used as thermal insulation on pipes and boilers
- sprayed asbestos used for thermal insulation, fire protection, partitioning and ducts
- asbestos-insulating board (AIB) used for fire protection, thermal insulation, partitioning and ducts
- some ceiling tiles
- floor tiles
- cement roofing and guttering
- textured coating
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 caretakers 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.
Asbestos that is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed is not a significant risk to health as long as it is properly managed. This means that teachers and pupils are unlikely to be at risk in the course of their normal activities. However, they should not undertake activities that damage ACMs, such as pinning or tacking work to insulation board or ceiling tiles.
Who's responsible for managing asbestos in schools?
Anyone who has responsibility for the maintenance and/or repair of non-domestic premises, including schools, is a 'dutyholder' as defined in Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. For the majority of schools, the dutyholder will be the employer.
Who the employer is varies with the type of school. For community schools, community special schools, voluntary-controlled schools, maintained nursery schools and pupil referral units, the employer is the local authority. For academies, free schools, voluntary-aided and foundation schools, it will be the school governors. For independent schools, it may be the proprietor, governors or trustees.
In situations where budgets for building management are delegated to schools by the local authority, the duty to manage asbestos will be shared between schools and the local authority. The authority's written scheme for the financing of maintained schools will set out the categories of work that will either be financed from the delegated school budget share (revenue repairs and maintenance) or remain the responsibility of the local authority (capital expenditure). Both parties will therefore have 'dutyholder' responsibilities for the repair and maintenance of the premises.
What is the 'duty to manage' asbestos?
Dutyholders should know whether their premises contain asbestos, where it is and what condition it is in. Then they should ensure that they manage it properly.
They must assess and manage the risks from asbestos to employees and others. They must also ensure that anyone who is likely to work on, or disturb, asbestos is provided with information about its location and condition.
What does the dutyholder have to do in practice in a school?
The dutyholder's responsibilities include:
- keeping an up-to-date record of the location and condition of ACMs in the school
- assessing the risks from any ACMs in the school
- making plans to manage the risks from ACMs in the school
- putting those plans into action
Those most at risk of disturbing ACMs are tradespeople, caretakers, etc. The school's plan needs to contain provisions to ensure that information about the location and condition of ACMs is given to anyone who might disturb these materials. The dutyholder should also ensure that staff likely to disturb asbestos are suitably trained.
What is the role of school staff?
Most staff are not directly involved in managing the buildings or in carrying out repair or maintenance work. However, staff still need to be made aware of the potential hazards. All staff should be instructed not to disturb or damage ACMs, for example by pinning work to walls. They should also report damage to school fixtures or fittings that could lead to the release of asbestos fibres, eg damage to ceiling or floor tiles, or to column seals in system-built schools.
Should parents be told about asbestos in their children's school?
Health and safety legislation does not require schools to inform parents about the presence of asbestos in their children's school. Some schools do provide parents with information to assure them that effective management arrangements are in place. The management arrangements at the school should prevent disturbance of asbestos containing materials – but if these arrangements fail and there is an accidental release of asbestos fibres, then it is important that those affected are informed. HSE's website includes simple guidance for those who may have been inadvertently exposed to asbestos.
What about pupils – can they damage asbestos?
The likelihood of pupils disturbing asbestos containing materials (ACMs) during unsupervised or unruly activities does need to be considered as part of the schools management arrangements. Any vulnerable or exposed panels should be identified and protected or removed. These are the types of issues that should be included in the schools asbestos management plan as they are part of the essential precautions that ensure that normal school activities do not disturb or damage ACMs.
The most likely way that ACMs in schools will be disturbed or damaged is through maintenance, repair or construction activities. This includes even seemingly innocuous jobs such as installing telephone or computer cabling where access behind wall panels and to ceiling voids is often needed. Incidents of contamination have also resulted from refurbishment work that has not been properly managed. In these situations, it is those directly involved in the work who have the highest risk of exposure to asbestos fibres – and regulations are in place to ensure this type of work is carried out properly.
What types of monitoring and testing are necessary for asbestos in school?
The condition of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) can be monitored effectively by visual inspection and checking for any signs of damage. If there is no visible damage - for example no signs of visible debris, dust or asbestos material in poor condition - then the potential for release, spread and exposure is extremely low. Regular inspections and checks by the duty holder of the condition of ACMs are what are needed. This inspection approach should also check materials which are in place to protect or seal hidden ACMs. If these protective materials are damaged then remedial action on these materials will be necessary.
In the absence of visible damage or evidence of asbestos debris left from previous uncontrolled work, the concentrations of asbestos fibres in the air are likely to very low and around the realistic limits of detection using the currently available measurement methods. Airborne sampling is not normally needed.
I know how important it is to manage asbestos in my school – where can I get straightforward advice about what I need to do?
Bradley Environmental is one of the most respected UKAS accredited asbestos consultants in the UK offering a whole range of UKAS accredited Asbestos Risk Management services for clients in various industries and sectors. We advise our clients on the most efficient, operationally and economically advantageous way to manage asbestos, without compromising on safety issues.
