Hi Herb

Nowhere in the UK legislation on asbestos risks does it say that anything has to be inspected at predetermined intervals, nor who should do such an inspection.

Both these variables should sensibly be covered in an asbestos management plan.

But "competence" depends on what the ACMs are, where they are, and their condition.

HSE guidance HSG264 (free to download) makes recommendations as to the competence of those carrying out Management and/or Demolition/Refurbishment surveys and the scope of either type of survey.

If you have a Management Survey done by a competent surveyor it might tell you that you have a mix of ACMs - some less friable than others, some in poorer condition than others.

But it might be that the friable ACMs which are in poor condition are locked away where nobody is likely to disturb them for many years and perhaps they don't need regular inspection, but rather very strict controls when somebody does need to get near them in X years time.

At the other end of the spectrum you might have an asbestos cement roof in good condition. It doesn't take a competent surveyor to look at the roof and decide whether it is still in good condition, and whether somebody e.g. employed by the educational establishment does this check annually or at some other frequency should depend on how likely it is to be damaged - and that in turn depends on what happens day to day and what might occur from time to time, e.g. when you bring in large plant that might collide with the building with the roof if you don't have effective exclusion zones.

As happens every few years, there have been recent calls for all ACMs to be removed from educational establishments. Sounds good in principle but it could INCREASE the overall level of risk.

You have to balance up the risk of exposure to tiny amounts (often so tiny as to be unmeasurable) of ACMs in air that might arise from ACMs in good condition or hidden well away from likely disturbance against the high levels that can be anticpated during removal works and higher levels if these are not effectively controlled.