Routine maintenance in older buildings? Asbestos may be hidden in the materials you're about to disturb.
Routine building maintenance, plumbing repairs, electrical work, HVAC servicing, ceiling access, frequently disturbs materials that may contain asbestos. Pipe insulation, ceiling tiles, floor adhesives, cable ducts, and partition walls in pre-2000 buildings are all common locations.
Maintenance workers who are unaware of asbestos locations are at significant risk of accidental exposure. Before any invasive maintenance work in an older building, the asbestos register must be checked and workers must be informed of any asbestos-containing materials in the work area.
If no register exists, one must be created. If the planned work will disturb identified asbestos materials, specialist removal or management procedures must be implemented before maintenance can proceed.
The Problem
School caretakers and maintenance teams routinely access ceiling voids, service corridors, and plant rooms where asbestos materials may be present. Tasks as simple as changing a light fitting, fixing a leaky pipe, or running new data cables can disturb asbestos-containing materials.
Schools must ensure that every maintenance worker, including external contractors, checks the asbestos register and receives a briefing before beginning any work that breaks the building fabric. Failure to do so puts children, staff, and workers at risk.
What You Need
Frequently Asked Questions
Can maintenance workers accidentally disturb asbestos?
Yes, routine maintenance activities such as drilling, cutting, cable routing, and accessing ceiling voids frequently disturb ACMs. Building managers must ensure all maintenance staff are asbestos-awareness trained and that the asbestos register is consulted before any intrusive work begins.
Is asbestos awareness mandatory?
Yes, under CAR 2012 Regulation 10, all workers whose activities could foreseeably disturb asbestos must receive asbestos awareness training. This includes maintenance workers, electricians, plumbers, and building managers.
How many levels of training are there for asbestos?
There are three categories of asbestos training: awareness training (Category A) for anyone who may encounter asbestos, non-licensed work training (Category B) for those doing NNLW, and licensed work training for operatives holding an HSE licence.
Do you need training to work around asbestos?
Yes, anyone whose work could foreseeably expose them to asbestos must receive appropriate asbestos awareness training as a minimum. Workers carrying out asbestos removal must hold additional qualifications and, for licensable work, an HSE licence.
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