HSE report on the management of asbestos in school buildings.

The HSE has just released a report on the management of asbestos in school buildings based on a survey of 421 schools in 20022 – 2023.  It assesses how well schools are managing the risks from asbestos, and meeting their legal duties.

Most schools were found to be managing asbestos effectively but a small number of schools had significant failings in their systems that required enforcement action.  A common are where improvement is required is having an up-to-date asbestos survey clearly showing the location of all asbestos containing materials.  The report also highlights the need for schools to have an asbestos management plan clearly setting out who does what and when, including regular scheduled checks to monitor the condition of asbestos containing materials. There were also schools that did not ensure that contractors tendering for work provided risk assessments, method statements, and evidence of asbestos awareness training.