Water safety and contractor duties in schools
Leak investigations and repairs should be planned around the school’s water-safety arrangements, asbestos information, construction responsibilities and contractor safeguarding requirements.
Updated . Published .
Identify the applicable duties
This overview draws on HSE guidance for Great Britain and DfE guidance for England. Northern Ireland has separate legislation; safeguarding frameworks also differ between UK nations. Identify the school’s employer, those controlling the premises and the people responsible for the proposed work. Duties may be shared.
Legionella risk management requires an assessment and proportionate controls. A repair that leaves stagnant pipework connected can affect that assessment. Tell the water-safety lead about isolation, bypasses and reinstatement so that any necessary controls and records can be reviewed.
Check asbestos and construction arrangements
Before work that could disturb materials, provide relevant asbestos information and establish whether further survey information is needed. Asbestos awareness training is not permission to work on asbestos; the work may require additional competence or a licensed contractor.
CDM 2015 can apply to repair and maintenance of building services, including small projects. Where more than one contractor is involved or reasonably foreseeable, principal designer and principal contractor appointments are required. A competent adviser should identify the duties for the actual scope.
Agree access and handover
For schools in England, use current Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance and the school’s contractor policy to establish identity checks, appropriate DBS checks and supervision. Requirements depend on the work and access; one blanket claim about all engineers is insufficient.
Record access restrictions, isolation permissions, emergency contacts and the arrangements for returning systems to service. Update the relevant plans and tell staff what changed.
Compliance and safety: common questions
Does a non-invasive survey remove the need for asbestos planning?
No. The planned method may reduce disturbance, but access or follow-on work can still affect building materials. Check the proposed work against current asbestos information.
Can we stop flushing during a meter test?
Do not change a required water-safety regime merely to obtain a zero reading. Record planned flushing as known consumption and agree any change with the person responsible for the risk controls.
Sources for this page
- Source: Health and Safety Executive, HSG274 Part 2: control of legionella in hot and cold water systems (opens in a new tab) ().
- Source: Department for Education, Managing asbestos in your school or college (opens in a new tab) ().
- Source: Health and Safety Executive, Summary of duties under CDM 2015 (opens in a new tab) ().
- Source: Department for Education, Keeping children safe in education 2026 (opens in a new tab) (). This figure is restated annually; check the current edition.
Last reviewed . How this site sources and dates its figures.