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From September last year, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been undertaking inspections on schools at random across England, Scotland, and Wales. They are evaluating how you are addressing asbestos concerns on school property, and how you are complying with your duty to manage asbestos as a duty holder, which falls under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012).

Helping you remain compliant

Rest assured that if you have the following measures in place, you can feel confident in avoiding potential issues with the HSE inspections and most importantly, keeping your staff and pupils safe.

  • Asbestos Management Plan

    This legislative document outlines how to manage asbestos in your building, detailing your responsibilities, keeping a register of asbestos in your buildings, and helping you monitor the condition of asbestos-containing materials to ultimately ensure contractor and staff safety.

  • Asbestos Management Survey

    This survey provides a duty holder or building owner with the required information to effectively manage asbestos-containing materials and forms part of an asbestos management plan which we can also provide.

  • Re-Inspection Survey

    This survey should occur annually; the CAR 2012 require regular inspection and updates of any previously identified asbestos-containing materials, and should address any access issues from the original survey.

  • Refurbishment Survey

    This survey is required before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out on your premises, and will locate and identify all asbestos-containing materials on the location.

Let's have a chat

Further Asbestos Management Support

  • UKAS accredited Asbestos Awareness Training
  • BOHS P405 Management of Asbestos in Buildings Training
  • Management of Asbestos Policy Review
  • Asbestos Compliance Consultancy
  • Asbestos Removal Project Management

Why Choose Pennington Choices

Pennington Choices is one of the UK’s leading asbestos consultancies. We provide a full range of asbestos management services which, once implemented into your school, provides a step-by-step route to achieving 100% legislative compliance. Our nationwide coverage means that, no matter where you are in the UK, our expert teams will help you.
 
Our process, accredited by UKAS, ensures reports of the highest quality are consistently completed on time, every time.
Meet tight deadline

We understand the importance of meeting tight deadlines whilst minimising disruption to ensure efficient and effective compliance.

web portal

Our web portal allows you to view live data on the progress of your projects, survey reports and access to all your historical reports and data in real time 24/7.

UKAS Testing - asbestos

Our asbestos surveying and inspection work is accredited by UKAS to ISO 17020 standards.

UKAS inspection - asbestos

Our in-house laboratories and air sampling and analysis are accredited by UKAS to ISO17025.

three year fixed rate

Get in touch via our contact form to secure a three
year fixed rate for all our asbestos surveys.

Ranked 3rd for Best Architect & Surveyor company to work for
Ranked 3rd for Best Architect & Surveyor Company to work for in the UK.
Asbestos Case Studies


Read how we assisted a London primary school building, with approximately 500 pupils, with asbestos consultancy services and management of asbestos removal works.

Asbestos Case Study - School Works During Term-Time

Read how we supported several schools in Merseyside with asbestos management plans, management surveys, re-inspections, refurbishment and demolition surveys, and analytical works.

Asbestos Case Study - School Works During Half-Term

 

 

school building

"We have been working with Pennington Choices for the past two years. The Pennington Choices team are always professional, punctual and knowledgeable about the various subject matter. Their approach to achieving the objective is co-operative, straight forward and informative, enabling us to learn from the wealth of experience and knowledge as part of the process."
- Building Services Manager

Frequently Asked Asbestos Questions

When do you need an Asbestos Survey?

When do you need an Asbestos Survey?

Primarily, you need an asbestos survey if you are about to conduct building works (either minor or major) on a property built before the year 2000. However, it is also worthwhile undertaking a survey if you own a property built before the new millennium for reassurance. It is better to be safe than sorry.

What can I do if I think I may have asbestos in my building?

What can I do if I think I may have asbestos in my building?

If you suspect that your building may contain asbestos then it is important that you take the necessary action and bring in a UKAS accredited company to provide advice and potentially a survey if needed.

How do I know if asbestos is in my building?

How do I know if asbestos is in my building?

Sometimes asbestos is quite obvious and sometimes it is concealed, but for absolute confirmation, sampling and laboratory analysis is required. As a basic guide, it is most commonly found in floor tiles, textured coating, roofing sheets, roof tiles, soffits, flues, cold water tanks as well as panels lining doors and stairs or forming walls and boxing. Very occasionally it might also be found as insulation, including on pipes and on very old boilers or hot water tanks, or as a form of sprayed insulation.

Why could my building contain Asbestos?

Why could my building contain Asbestos?

If built or refurbished before the year 2000 (prior to the asbestos ban), there is a possibility that your property will contain asbestos in some area.

What are the health risks if I have asbestos in my school?

What are the health risks if I have asbestos in my school?

Asbestos in good condition, that is not going to be disturbed, does not usually present a problem. However, if this is not the case, then exposure to damaged asbestos could be extremely harmful. Especially as the substance is capable of causing cancer, and is responsible for around 5,000 deaths each year in the UK.

How long will an asbestos survey take?

How long will an asbestos survey take?

There is no fixed amount of time that a survey can take, as this can vary on the size of each building and the amount of suspected asbestos materials. However, we work with clients to minimise disruption, including working outside of operational hours on a range of projects to suit our client’s needs.

What should I do if the survey comes back positive?

What should I do if the survey comes back positive?

If the tests come back positive, then this does not immediately mean that the substance has to be removed. In fact, if the asbestos is in good condition and will not be disturbed, then it can usually be safely managed. If the material is damaged it may need to be removed and if so, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) licensed removal contractor should be able to do this competently.

What should I do if I have an asbestos related emergency out of normal working hours?

What should I do if I have an asbestos related emergency out of normal working hours?

Should asbestos be damaged or disturbed during the early hours of the morning or night, it's important that you act quickly to reduce the risk of people becoming exposed to the fibers. In instances such as this, we have a 24/7 out of hours asbestos service along with expert surveyors across the country who are on hand to help.