Asbestos building-work survey and control procedure

This procedure applies to maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England. It covers school-commissioned or school-controlled work that may disturb the building fabric or asbestos materials, including small repairs by school staff and major contracted projects.

1. Determine the asbestos risk

Before commissioning construction, refurbishment, demolition, repair or other work that may disturb the building fabric, determine whether the work might disturb any asbestos materials, including unidentified, presumed or hidden materials.

The determination must reflect the planned work and the areas or materials that may be affected. If the work will disturb the fabric of the building, arrange a relevant refurbishment or demolition survey.

2. Arrange the relevant survey

A refurbishment or demolition survey is the more intrusive type of survey. It involves destructive inspection by a trained specialist to identify all asbestos materials.

Use the survey findings, together with details of any known or presumed asbestos materials, when defining the work and selecting its controls.

3. Pass on asbestos information

Pass the findings of the relevant survey or surveys and details of any known or presumed asbestos materials in the work area to the designers and to those who will be doing the work.

Those undertaking the work must confirm that the information provided is sufficient for the planned work.

4. Check contractors and work classification

Use competent contractors and check whether the proposed asbestos work is licensable, notifiable non-licensable or non-licensable.

All licensed work on asbestos must be carried out by a licensed asbestos removal contractor (LARC).

Some small, short-duration tasks may be carried out by non-licensed workers where they have received appropriate training and the correct risk-control measures are used.

5. Apply work controls

Select and apply suitable risk-control measures that reflect the work scope, the survey findings and the classification of the work. A permit-to-work system may be used to control the work.

Use the relevant method statements, permits and other suitable control measures for the planned work. Do not allow the work to proceed on the basis of incomplete asbestos information or without suitable controls for the work being undertaken.

6. Confirm before work begins

Before work begins, confirm that the work scope and asbestos risk have been determined, the relevant survey has been arranged where required, asbestos information has been passed to designers and workers, the contractor is competent and appropriately licensed where necessary, and suitable controls have been established.