Asbestos in Schools

Schools not meeting the required standards!

Shockingly, around 80% of schools in England have asbestos present somewhere within their buildings according to a recent survey by the DSE.

The Department For Education has revealed that asbestos management is not “in line with” it’s own guidance. Almost 20% of the schools in England that have taken part in its asbestos management assurance process survey. This represents just below 3,500 potentially failing schools, says the DFE in a report on the survey results so far.

The DFE will now work with these schools on the areas that need attention in order to implement its 2017 guidance regarding managing asbestos in schools. A smaller number of schools appear to be in breach of the relevant legislation, the control of asbestos regulations 2012. The report does not say how many, but the DFE gave the figure of 676 in a recent freedom of information response. The HSE will “follow up where appropriate” says the DFE.

The survey asked all state funded schools and academies in England to provide information on how they managed asbestos, via an online portal.

The national education union said that the DFE has “set a low bar” in assessing asbestos protocols. “Schools were defined as managing asbestos in line with regulatory requirements if they had an asbestos register and an asbestos management plan. These documents could be sitting on a shelf gathering dust”.

More information can be found on asbestos management by OJ Health and Safety on our asbestos surveys page.

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