Asbestos Management in School Buildings

Routine school maintenance including plumbing repairs, electrical work, ceiling access, and wall penetrations can disturb asbestos-containing materials that are otherwise stable. Maintenance workers who are unaware of ACM locations may drill, cut, or abrade asbestos materials, releasing fibres into the school environment. The asbestos register must be consulted before any maintenance work.

School renovation, extension, and demolition projects must include pre-works asbestos surveys (Division 6 surveys) to identify all ACMs that will be disturbed. Licensed asbestos removalists are required for friable ACM and for non-friable ACM above threshold quantities. Air monitoring during removal and clearance monitoring before re-occupation are mandatory under the WHS Regulations.

Weathering, water damage, physical impact, and age cause ACMs to deteriorate, potentially releasing fibres into occupied classrooms and corridors. Fibro cement sheeting on external walls and eaves is particularly susceptible to weathering in coastal environments. Background air monitoring verifies that fibre levels in occupied spaces remain below the control level.

Storm damage, flooding, and bushfire can damage buildings containing ACMs, dispersing asbestos materials across the school site. Post-event assessment and air monitoring are required before re-occupation. Emergency stabilisation and removal of damaged ACMs must be conducted by licensed asbestos removalists.

Typical Worker Groups

Common similar exposure groups (SEGs) assessed for this sub-category.

Regulatory Context

The WHS Regulations require PCBUs managing or controlling a workplace to ensure an asbestos register is prepared and maintained for buildings constructed before 2003. An Asbestos Management Plan must document how identified ACMs will be managed, monitored, and maintained. The Code of Practice for How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace and the Code of Practice for How to Safely Remove Asbestos provide detailed requirements. Air monitoring must be conducted by a competent person with NATA-accredited laboratory analysis. Clearance certificates are required after asbestos removal before a workplace (including a school) can be re-occupied.