Asbestos Management

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to support schools to understand their health and safety obligations relating to asbestos management and to comply with relevant regulatory and department requirements.

Summary

• The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 (Vic) requires the department to provide or maintain systems of work and a working environment that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health.
• The OHS Regulations 2017 (Vic) requires the department to manage risks associated with asbestos containing material (ACM).
• The principal or their delegate must control any risks associated with ACM by developing, implementing and maintaining a School Asbestos Management Plan (SAMP) for each school campus, regardless of whether there are known or assumed ACM on school site.
• The SAMP contains step-by-step instructions and guidance for the principal or their delegate to follow to properly manage the risks associated with asbestos containing material.
• The principal must appoint an asbestos coordinator. In the absence of an asbestos coordinator, the principal takes on this role.
• Principals and asbestos coordinators must:
  • complete the Managing Asbestos in Schools eLearn module (staff login required) on commencement of their role and refresh the training every 2 years
  • enrol in and attend one of the face-to-face or online Asbestos Management Information and Training Sessions, which are provided as part of the department’s annual Bricks and Mortar Asset Management Workshop on commencement and at least once every 5 years. Schools must retain evidence of completion by retaining the certificate in AIMS or recording in the school’s OHS training planner/register.

Details

The School Asbestos Management Plan

The principal or the asbestos coordinator are required to develop and maintain a School Asbestos Management Plan (SAMP) regardless of whether or not there is any known or assumed asbestos containing material (ACM) on the school site.

The SAMP outlines how ACM must be managed in accordance with this policy, including how to prevent the introduction of ACM on school sites, what types of materials will be managed, when and how this will be done and who has responsibility.

The principal, delegate or the asbestos coordinator must ensure that the SAMP is reviewed annually.

Schools can download a SAMP template to use (available on the Resources tab).

Identification of asbestos containing material, labelling and records

Where there is known or assumed asbestos at the school, the principal, their delegate or the asbestos coordinator must ensure that:

• the school has a current Division 5 Asbestos Audit Report dated within the last 5 years, accessible within the Asset Information and Management Systems (AIMS), or contact asbestos.reform@education.vic.gov.au to discuss
• the school has an Asbestos register and Asbestos label register (both documents are accessible in AIMS or templates are available on the Resources tab)
• where asbestos is present in a school building, all external entrances to the building must be labelled to indicate the presence of ACM. VSBA provides schools with asbestos labels on request via the Make-safe hotline. If a label needs replacement, schools must contact the department’s 24-hour Make-safe hotline on 1300 133 468
• quarterly visual inspections of any ACM and asbestos labels are scheduled in the school’s OHS Activities Calendar and work orders in AIMS are approved once undertaken
• the completion of the quarterly visual inspections are recorded on the Asbestos register and Asbestos label register within AIMS (or on the excel templates available in the Resources tab). Where deteriorated or damaged asbestos is identified, principals or delegates must call the 24-hour Make-safe hotline on 1300 133 468
• all records are retained permanently in line with the Records Management policy and the School records retention guide.

Communication of ACM

The principal, their delegate or the asbestos coordinator must communicate the information within the Division 5 Asbestos Audit Report and SAMP to:

• health and safety representatives (HSR) (where elected)
• the Health and Safety Committee (if applicable)
• school staff (for example, teachers, casual relief teachers, student support officers), where relevant
• volunteers (where relevant) – refer to the Volunteer OHS Management policy
• contractors (where relevant) - refer to the Contractor OHS Management policy.

The principal or their delegate must ensure that information on the location of asbestos and the asbestos coordinator contact details is shared if relevant. This can be done by ensuring the required induction and training process has occurred with relevant individuals as per the relevant OHS Induction and Training, Contractor OHS Management or Volunteer OHS Management policies.

Management of ACM

The principal or their delegate must:

• appoint an asbestos coordinator. The asbestos coordinator becomes the main point of contact for asbestos-related matters at the school, under the direction and control of the principal or their delegate. In the absence of an asbestos co-ordinator the principal takes on this responsibility
• ensure they and the asbestos coordinator undertake asbestos awareness training, by:
  • completing the online mandatory Asbestos Management eLearning Module (staff login required) on commencement of their role and every 2 years (note – principals must manually enrol their asbestos coordinators in this eLearn, however principals will be automatically enrolled and re-enrolled as required)
  • enrolling in and attending one of the face-to-face or online Asbestos Management Information and Training Sessions, which are provided as part of the department’s annual Bricks and Mortar Asset Management Workshop on commencement and at least once every 5 years
• ensure that all training is recorded as per the OHS Induction and Training policy. Schools must retain evidence of completion of the Asbestos Management Information and Training Sessions by retaining the certificate in AIMS or recording in the school’s OHS training planner/register
• ensure that damaged asbestos labels are replaced (contact the department’s 24-hour Make-safe hotline on 1300 133 468)
• respond quickly to asbestos-related incidents. The principal or their delegate or the asbestos coordinator must call the department’s 24-hour Make-safe hotline on 1300 133 468 to report any occurrences where disturbed, damaged, degraded or suspected ACMs have been identified
• ensure that all incident(s) related to suspected exposure to ACM are reported on eduSafe Plus (staff login required) (for example, employee exposure to ACM)
• ensure ACM in soil, mulch or loose fill is managed as per the Soil, Mulch or Loose Fill policy and the SAMP.

Using AIMS to manage asbestos documentation

AIMS provides a system for schools to manage their asbestos documentation.

The School Asbestos Management Plan (refer to the Resources tab for a template) can be uploaded to the AIMS system for records management purposes.

Documents available electronically on the AIMS system include:

• Asbestos register (XLSX)
• Asbestos label register (XLSX)
• Division 5 Audit Report.

For instructions on accessing each document in aims refer to the relevant guide:

• Asbestos label register – View-Add-Update (PDF) (staff login required)
• Asbestos Management Plan Review
• Division 5 audit report will be grouped in the schools asbestos section of AIMS.

Removal of ACM

To ensure the principal, their delegate or the asbestos coordinator understands and complies with all of the regulatory and department requirements, the department must be contacted prior to commencing any asbestos removal works at the school.

Contact the asbestos reform team by email: asbestos.reform@education.vic.gov.au

In addition, the principal, their delegate or the asbestos coordinator is required to organise and fund a Division 6 Hazardous Building Materials Audit before undertaking works that may include demolition, refurbishment, installation of new equipment, hanging displays, painting, soil works, excavation works and so on, where ACM is suspected.

For more detailed, site specific information and guidance, the principal, their delegate or the asbestos coordinator must refer to the school’s SAMP.

Definitions

Asbestos
Asbestos is the name given to a group of fibrous silicate minerals that occur naturally in the environment. Exposure to asbestos fibres can cause life-threatening illnesses.

Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)
Any manufactured material or object that, as part of its design, contains one or more of the fibrous forms of mineral silicates belonging to the serpentine or amphibole groups of rock-forming minerals, including actinolite, amosite (brown asbestos), anthophyllite, crocidolite (blue asbestos), chrysotile (white asbestos) or tremolite. ACM can be dangerous to health if not properly maintained or removed carefully.

Examples of ACM include (but are not limited to): asbestos-containing cement sheets, cement pipes, vinyl tiles, sprayed insulation, window mastic, rock samples in mineral kits, telecommunications pits, pipe lagging, millboard and gaskets.

For further details, visit the Australian Government - Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

Asbestos coordinator
A person who is responsible for the safe management of asbestos within the workplace. By default, this is the school principal, however it can also be a suitable person appointed by the school principal. The asbestos coordinator is the main contact for asbestos-related issues in the school.

Asbestos register
The school’s asbestos register contains current information about the existence and location of any known or presumed ACM on the school site, based on an initial Division 5 Asbestos Audit Report and subsequent quarterly visual inspection results of the building. If any changes to the register are required, schools must notify the VSBA Asbestos Reform Team. This document is managed on AIMS.

Asbestos label register
Schools use an asbestos label register to record school buildings which are labelled to indicate the presence of asbestos containing material. This register is managed on AIMS.

Division 5 Asbestos Audit
A visual inspection conducted by an Occupational Hygienist at least every 5 years to identify the existence, location and condition of any known or assumed ACM on the school site. This audit is organised by the VSBA. Results of the audit are reported in a Division 5 Asbestos Audit Report. This document is managed on AIMS and can be found in ‘school documents’.

Division 6 Hazardous Building Materials Audit
This audit is a mandated sampling required of suspected ACM (where there is uncertainty) to verify the existence of asbestos prior to work commencing in an affected area of the school. Results of this sampling are documented in a Division 6 Hazardous Materials Audit Report. For school-led projects, the school must organise this audit.

eduSafe Plus
eduSafe Plus is the online portal for managing all incidents, hazards, near misses, sick bay/first aid activity and assurance actions. It allows all department staff to report incidents, hazards and near misses themselves, or on behalf of other employees, contractors, visitors and volunteers.

School Asbestos Management Plan (SAMP)
The department provides guidance and procedural advice regarding the identification, management and removal of asbestos and asbestos containing material (ACM) through this document, which schools must implement. It outlines information on:

• asbestos health facts and legislative requirements
• key requirements for managing ACM
• guidance on inspecting ACMs and responding to incidents
• frequently asked questions.

All schools are required to have a current SAMP in place that is reviewed annually, regardless of whether or not there is any known or assumed asbestos on the school site.

Related policies

• Asset Information Management System (AIMS)
• Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance
• Capital Building Projects in Schools
• Demolition
• OHS Consultation and Communication
• OHS Risk Planning and Management
• OHS Induction and Training
• Repurposing and Renaming School Spaces
• Soil, Mulch or Loose Fill

Relevant legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)

Contacts

For emergency situations

The department’s 24-hour Make-safe hotline
1300 133 468

For questions about asbestos safety

OHS Advisory Service
1300 133 468
safety@education.vic.gov.au

For other questions about this policy

Victorian School Building Authority
Response Unit
asbestos.reform@education.vic.gov.au