Asbestos management in school system buildings 2009/10

In 2009 HSE and DCSF (now the Department for Education) jointly administered an online questionnaire survey on asbestos management covering system built schools. The questionnaire was aimed at all 152 local authorities (LAs) with education departments in England, where they had control over system built schools or other childcare settings. 

In summary the online returns prompted a review of asbestos management procedures in a number of authorities:

• 45 LAs were selected for inspection (where they had either not responded to the questionnaire or the response indicated the need for further verification to clarify their management arrangements); 
• 32 (of the 45) LAs were given advice about practical improvements; and
• 10 of the authorities were served with enforcement notices to improve asbestos management standards.
• A total of 18 improvement notices were served and one prohibition notice.

Full details of the intervention and findings are outlined in the following documents:

• Letter to LAs: Management of asbestos in system built schools
• Managing asbestos in system built schools
• Inspection Findings: Asbestos management in Local Authority school system buildings 2009/10
• Questionnaire survey on asbestos management in local authority system built schools – Alphabetical list of responses – July 2010