Asbestos Removal in schools
On 29th January 2010 the HSE released HSG 264 Asbestos: The Survey Guide. This document expands on and replaces MDHS 100. The document is aimed at those conducting asbestos surveys, those who commission asbestos surveys and those with specific responsibilities for managing asbestos in accordance with Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2006. HSG 264 is heavily illustrated and is broken down into a number of key sections.
In essence, the new Survey Guide provides guidance on the legal requirements of conducting asbestos surveys and it is aimed at those with dutyholder responsibilities within buildings such as those managing asbestos in schools and those with legal responsibilities to their employees such as consultants and contractors working within schools. The benefit of the document is better clarity for the manner in which a survey should be planned, implemented and reported which will protect lives, reduce costs of maintenance, improve planning and make development and refurbishment at each school much easier to implement and manage.
The level of training and experience required by each surveyor and the competency of the surveying organisation and the surveyor is specified to protect those learning and working in schools. The HSE strongly recommends the use of certified or accredited surveyors/organisations and advises that UKAS Accreditation demonstrates technical competence and will ensure that surveys are carried out by competent people / organisations with an outcome of better records in place which are easier to review and reference and a more comprehensive management regime in place through risk assessments and asbestos management plans.
Undertaking surveys is key to identifying the location of asbestos within a property. There are specific recommendations in relation to the purpose of the survey within schools. Under purpose of the survey, the guidelines re-iterate information within previous asbestos guidance that an asbestos survey should be conducted for all non-domestic properties (type determined by requirement) to be used to create an asbestos register, a risk assessment and a management plan to manage the risks of asbestos within the school.
One of the main changes from MDHS 100 is the types of surveys and terminology. Under HSG 264 there are two types of survey instead of three. Type 1 and Type 2 surveys have now been combined together into Management Surveys and Type 3 Surveys are now termed Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys.
An Asbestos Management Survey is considered a standard survey to be used for the purposes of managing asbestos within properties. The survey will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance to facilitate foreseeable maintenance and related activities and can involve a combination of sampling to confirm asbestos is present or presuming asbestos to be present. An assessment of the condition and ability to release fibres into the air if they are disturbed in some way should also be undertaken for each ACM (Asbestos Containing Materials).
Refurbishment Surveys are required for all works which disturb the fabric of the building in areas where the management survey has not been intrusive.
A demolition survey should be conducted in the whole building if demolition is planned. An example would be as part of a Building Schools for the Future project. A refurbishment and demolition survey is required when more intrusive maintenance and repair work will be carried out or for plant removal or dismantling.
A Survey Strategy places an expectation that every school will be surveyed on an individual basis to identify the presence and condition of asbestos. The survey strategy should reflect the scale and nature of the property. All rooms should be visually assessed within each school to establish similar rooms / locations which will create less need for sampling in all rooms.
Survey Planning is key to successful asbestos management and the role of the duty holder is key to this success. Information in schools should be collected at the planning stage of the survey adopting 4 steps in the survey planning process which are:-
- Collect all the relevant information to plan the survey
- Consider the Information (desk-top study)
- Prepare a survey plan (including how data will be recorded)
- Conduct a risk assessment for the survey
The new Survey Guide advises on a systematic survey inspection to assess and record existing records and recognise where additional precautions and care need to be undertaken. The issue of a Sampling Strategy is addressed. A list of asbestos containing products and the size and frequency of samples is included in an aim to assist the Dutyholder at each school in managing asbestos effectively.
The survey report should be a practical document to enable any school to prepare an Asbestos Register which should contain specific information.
The duty holder has a key role at each school They should check the survey is suitable and accurate for the schools day-to- day operations. The survey reports will, in most cases be more detailed than the asbestos register. Regular updating of the asbestos register is also addressed briefly stating that it should be updated where asbestos is removed, new areas are sampled / surveyed and changes to the condition of ACM’s.
Spectra Analysis in partnership with RAP offers all schools a valued added offer a 10% discounted rate off all Asbestos services with the additional backup service of free ongoing telephone advice and provide the yearly Awareness training as required under regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
For further information please call Carolyne on 0333 600 1234
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