CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
School Asbestos Risk Assessment and Control Arrangement
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- School or academy employer, dutyholders, premises and estates teams, asbestos-management plan owners, facilities and maintenance personnel, project managers, contractors, staff responsible for communication and emergency arrangements, and others involved in managing school premises.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Managing the risk of exposure to known, presumed or potentially hidden asbestos-containing materials in school buildings, including occupation and use of premises, routine maintenance, intrusive work, construction or refurbishment, contractor activities, monitoring and recording condition, communication, emergency response, remedial work and ongoing management. Complete only where the premises and activities fall within the conditional applicability stated in the purpose.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
Exposure to known asbestos-containing materials through deterioration, accidental contact, routine use of rooms or building areas, or work near materials whose condition or location has not been adequately assessed. Potentially affected people include employees, pupils, visitors, contractors and others using the premises.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific existing controls, condition information or evidence of implementation were supplied. Record here only controls verified for the premises, such as an asbestos register, management plan, condition-monitoring records, access restrictions, information provided to relevant people and arrangements protecting employees and other premises users.
- Proposed controls
- Confirm the premises, dutyholder and scope of the assessment. Establish or verify an asbestos management plan with clear ownership, named roles, training arrangements, asbestos information, risk controls, communication arrangements, emergency procedures, reporting and escalation, governance, review and document-continuity arrangements. Maintain an asbestos register bringing together available and relevant information. Identify people who may be exposed, including employees, pupils, visitors, contractors and others using the premises. Monitor and record the condition of asbestos materials, restrict access where necessary, prevent disturbance and communicate relevant information to people liable to disturb the materials. Review the arrangement when information, premises, use or work activities change.
Local assessment and additional controls
Disturbance of presumed or hidden asbestos-containing materials because their presence, location or condition is unknown, incomplete or not reflected in available premises information.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific survey information, hidden-materials assessment, asbestos register or existing control evidence was supplied. Record verified information about known, presumed and potentially hidden materials separately from proposed actions.
- Proposed controls
- Actively manage the potential risk from presumed or hidden asbestos. Gather and reconcile available building, survey, maintenance and project information; identify areas where asbestos status is unknown; record assumptions and limitations; and prevent intrusive work from proceeding in unassessed areas until suitable information and controls are available. Update the asbestos register and management plan when new information is obtained. Escalate gaps in information to the person with authority to control the work and premises.
Local assessment and additional controls
Uncontrolled routine maintenance, repair or minor works disturbing asbestos-containing materials and releasing fibres.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific permit, planning, contractor-checking, work-control or supervision arrangements were supplied. Record only arrangements evidenced as operating at the premises.
- Proposed controls
- Define procedures for controlling routine maintenance work. Require asbestos information and the relevant register entry to be checked before work starts; identify whether the task could disturb asbestos; stop or re-plan work where information is inadequate; define required authorisation, isolation, access control, competent personnel, work methods, supervision and records; and ensure the controls are communicated to anyone liable to disturb asbestos materials. Include arrangements for checking that the correct controls and competent contractors are used.
Local assessment and additional controls
Construction, refurbishment or major maintenance work disturbing asbestos-containing materials because project planning, surveys, contractor competence or control checks are inadequate.
- Existing controls
- No project-specific information, contractor appointments, competence evidence, work plans or control checks were supplied. Do not treat the absence of information as evidence that controls exist.
- Proposed controls
- Define arrangements for construction and maintenance projects. Make asbestos information and the asbestos register available during project planning; identify materials that could be disturbed; require appropriate assessment and planning before intrusive work; verify that contractors are competent and, where required, HSE-licensed; check that the correct controls are specified and used; coordinate school, employer, dutyholder, designer, contractor and other relevant parties; control access and interfaces; and retain project records and updates to the asbestos management plan.
Local assessment and additional controls
Inadequate communication of asbestos information, restrictions, work controls or emergency arrangements to staff, visitors, contractors or others who may disturb asbestos materials.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific communication records, briefings, signage, induction arrangements or evidence of information sharing were supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Define who must receive asbestos information and when. Share relevant parts of the asbestos management plan and register with staff, contractors, visitors and others liable to disturb asbestos materials, subject to appropriate information-control arrangements. Include asbestos information in relevant inductions, work briefings and project coordination. Record communication, acknowledgement or briefing evidence where appropriate. Ensure people know how to report damage, suspected disturbance, new information or unsafe work and how work is to be stopped or escalated.
Local assessment and additional controls
Failure to identify, report, escalate or manage damaged asbestos-containing materials, creating potential exposure during normal occupation or subsequent work.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific inspection records, reporting route, escalation process, access restriction or remedial-action evidence was supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Define how damaged asbestos materials and suspected damage are reported and escalated. On notification, prevent further disturbance, control access as appropriate, protect people from the affected area, obtain suitable competent advice, record the incident and condition, determine remedial or further-management actions, assign an owner and due date, and update the asbestos register and management plan. Verify completion of actions before normal access or related work resumes where applicable.
Local assessment and additional controls
Inadvertent disturbance of asbestos-containing materials during or outside normal opening hours, with delayed response or uncontrolled access.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific emergency procedure, out-of-hours contact arrangement, incident record or evidence of emergency communication was supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Define emergency procedures for inadvertent disturbance both within and outside normal opening hours. Specify immediate actions to stop work or activity, prevent entry and further disturbance, protect people, notify the responsible dutyholder or nominated contact, obtain appropriate competent assistance, manage communication and escalation, record the incident, arrange assessment and remedial or further-management actions, and update relevant asbestos documentation. Provide an accessible out-of-hours contact route and ensure relevant staff and contractors know how to use it.
Local assessment and additional controls
Loss, inaccuracy or unauthorised alteration of asbestos information, resulting in work being planned or carried out without reliable records.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific document owner, amendment authority, review schedule, document location, backup or business-continuity evidence was supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Nominate those authorised to make entries or amendments to the asbestos management plan and register. Define formal arrangements for review and updating, including triggers such as new surveys, changes in condition, incidents, building changes and completed work. Record the location of asbestos-related documentation, maintain suitable backup and business-continuity arrangements, control versioning and preserve relevant historical records. Ensure current information is available to people who need it for premises management, maintenance, construction, emergency response and communication.
Local assessment and additional controls
Unclear allocation of employer and dutyholder responsibilities, resulting in gaps in protection for employees and other people using the premises.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific confirmation of the employer, premises maintenance or repair responsibility, delegated roles or accountability arrangements was supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Identify and record the employer and the person or organisation responsible for maintenance or repair of the premises, taking account of the school type and governance arrangements. Assign operational roles without treating delegation as transfer of the underlying duty. Define accountability for the asbestos management plan, register, work control, contractor checks, communication, emergency response, remedial actions, review and document continuity. Confirm interfaces between local authorities, academy trusts, schools, landlords, managing agents and contractors where relevant.
Local assessment and additional controls
Failure to complete or track remedial work and ongoing management actions identified through assessment, monitoring, incidents or project activity.
- Existing controls
- No site-specific action plan, action owners, due dates, completion evidence or review records were supplied.
- Proposed controls
- Maintain an action register for remedial work and ongoing management actions. For each action, record the source of the action, affected area or material, required control, responsible owner, target date, dependencies, status, completion evidence and any residual information gap. Prioritise actions using competent professional judgement without applying invented scores in this unscored register. Review overdue or blocked actions through the relevant governance route and update the asbestos register and management plan when actions change the risk information or controls.
Local assessment and additional controls