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School responsibilities

School boards and principals are responsible for managing asbestos in their schools. The Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 require schools to identify all asbestos and manage risks to remove or minimise exposure.

School buildings that were constructed before January 2000 are likely to have asbestos.

Continual asbestos management requirements
School boards and principals should follow management steps on a continual basis.
Identify if asbestos is present
You can employ a surveyor to assess your building.
Create an asbestos management plan if asbestos is found
Download the asbestos management plan template.

Asbestos management plan
DownloadDOCX2.7MB
Record any risks in your hazard and asbestos register
Download the risk and hazard management checklist.

Risk and hazard management checklists and templates
DownloadDOCX55KB
Communicate asbestos information
Make the asbestos management plan and asbestos register available to staff and any contractors working on your school.
Monitor the condition of the asbestos
You should plan for regular inspections of asbestos or asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Record any changes to the condition in your asbestos management plan.

Refurbishment, demolition and excavation projects

Schools must complete an asbestos refurbishment or demolition survey before doing any work. The survey will identify any hidden asbestos that could be exposed during work.

Your school should use a qualified and licensed asbestos surveyor. WorkSafe has a register of licensed assessors.

Asbestos licence holder register – WorkSafe

Asbestos removal

School boards should follow our removal requirements steps when managing asbestos. Contractors will put together an asbestos removal control plan for your school to follow. The plan should include these steps:

Conduct an asbestos refurbishment or demolition survey.
Isolate the asbestos risk.
Removing the asbestos.
Communication and consultation.
Air monitoring.
Get a clearance certificate and update the risk register.

Your school should also use our checklist.

Ministry requirements for asbestos removal

DownloadPDF128KB

Schools can submit the checklist and asbestos removal control plan to our health and safety team for review.

Email: [email protected]

Paying for asbestos management

The cost of managing or removing asbestos safely is part of the project costs. If this causes a major overrun in the project’s budget, your school should speak to your property advisor. We may be able to help with costs in some cases.