BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT
School building compliance - without compromise
DAVID LOXAM, Head of School Property Management at Casserly Property Management, takes a look at what schools need to bear in mind when it comes to building compliance
Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Managements of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR)
Ensuring statutory compliance can be a complex task with various disciplines to cover. These include to name but a few:
A
ny type of regulation can be a headache, and statutory compliance is no different.
As a school, you need to ensure that your buildings systems and installations are safe and compliant with a plethora of regulations. The basis of which is the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HWSA) which sets out the standards for managing health and safety regulation in the workplace. This works in tandem with other applicable regulations such as:
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO)
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment
• Fire Alarm Testing/Servicing • Emergency Light Testing • Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) • Boiler Servicing / Gas Safety • Lightning Protection System Test/Inspection • Water Hygiene Management (Legionella) • Asbestos Management • Fire Extinguishers Servicing • PE Equipment Inspections • Roller Shutter Servicing
From experience, this responsibility is often delegated to the School Business Manager with assistance from the Site Manager and Caretakers. However, it can become a major struggle as despite it being a regulatory requirement, it can quite easily get pushed down the pecking order as the day-to-day responsibilities become more prominent.
The problem
First-hand experience has taught us that the “burden” of managing statutory compliance is
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a real problem. Quite frequently, the following examples have arisen from schools looking for advice and/or assistance:
• Schools concerned that they weren’t covering all the requirement
• Administrative burden involving difficulty obtaining certificates, record keeping and diarising when each inspection was next due
• Little evidence to demonstrate compliance • Testing/Inspection works weren’t getting completed on time
• Unreliable service from suppliers • Increasing costs
Equally, there have been situations where: • The Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) was last undertaken 20 years ago
• No asbestos management survey on site • Fire extinguishers were last serviced in 2006 • Minimal legionella management in place • Gas safety certificate 2 years out of date • Roller shutters had never been serviced • Site Manager and/or the School Business Manager had left on long term sick leave and/or retired. There was no cover in place and no one at school understood the requirements leaving a huge gap
The above examples can be the cause of a whole range of issues, such as: • Lack of understanding from the responsible person at the school.
January 2025
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