Page 9 - A National Asbestos Strategy

The report analysed data collected over six months and illustrated that 71% of the recorded
asbestos items had some damage.
7 Indeed, HSE’s assessment of asbestos management in
schools identified that 7% of schools were not compliant with guidance. An important factor
missing from the HSE report was that all of the schools visited were aware that the HSE would be
attending, and they had also been offered training before the visits.
The UK’s use of asbestos and the prevalence of post-war construction means we not only have the
highest levels of asbestos in Europe but also the highest rates of death. Once at the forefront of
asbestos management, the UK is now falling rapidly behind other nations that have accepted the
societal risk from asbestos and are developing strategies and removal programmes.
The UK’s commitment to Net Zero means substantive work will be necessary to improve building
insulation and heating. At the same time, a considerable proportion of UK public buildings have
reached or exceeded their design age. Many of these are system-built properties constructed
post-war when asbestos was used extensively.
Condition surveys have identified around £20 billion in backlog maintenance in the health and
education sectors.8 These costs exclude any provision for asbestos. Additionally, problems related
to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are impacting schools, hospitals, and other
buildings.
In addition to the £20 billion already identified, the National Audit Office reported a backlog of
£50 billion across all public buildings, increasing by £800 million per annum. The report states,
‘Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, approximately 5,400 clinical service incidents occurred in the NHS
every year due to property and infrastructure failures’.9 Yet, against this background, asbestos is
reportedly being managed in good condition.
Asbestos Information CIC members have provided data from surveys undertaken
between May 2022 and April 2024. The extrapolation of this data indicates that as many
as 4 million licensable asbestos items were found in these two years, and at current
removal rates, this could take up to 100 years to deal with.
7 Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATAC), and National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants (NORAC), ‘Review of UK Asbestos Management
2022: The First Annual Data Analysis Report Into Asbestos in UK Buildings’, 2023,
https://www.atac.org.uk/news/first-annual-data-analysis-report-into-asbestos-in-uk-buildings-published/
8 Department for Education. Condition of School Buildings Survey CDC1: Key Findings Report. UK Government, 2021,
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60af7cbbe90e071b54214c82/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf
and NHS Digital. Estates Returns Information Collection: Summary Page and Dataset for ERIC 2021/22. NHS Digital, 2022,
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/england-2021-22
9 National Audit Office, Government Building Maintenance Backlog Is at Least £49 Billion, Spending Watchdog Says, 22 January 2025,
https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/government-building-maintenance-backlog-is-at-least-49-billion-spending-watchdog-says/
www.asbestosinformation.org.uk
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