Local authorities face some of the greatest challenges in ensuring asbestos is managed safely in situ.

Diverse and Often Older Building Stock

Local Authorities oversee a vast and diverse range of buildings that may contain asbestos, including community centres, agricultural and park buildings, offices, libraries, leisure facilities, schools, and residential properties—often numbering in the hundreds or even thousands. It's estimated that around 70% of these buildings still contain asbestos, many of which are older and often degrading properties.

Complex Dutyholder Responsibilities and Budget Constraints

With limited budgets for asbestos removal and ever-tightening financial constraints on building maintenance and safety compliance, managing asbestos safely becomes even more difficult. Shared dutyholder responsibilities across different teams within the local authority—along with varying budgets and external responsibilities (e.g., schools)—add to the complexity. Furthermore, the large number of contractors working across these estates, not always under direct council control, increases risks and complicates oversight.

Fragmented Information Sources

Asbestos-related information is often fragmented across various compliance or CAFM systems, and in some cases, is still managed using paper records or spreadsheets. Different asbestos contractors may be involved in different aspects of the process, such as management surveys, R&D surveys, and re-inspections, creating a lack of consistency in approach.

Challenges in Standardisation

Given these complexities, delivering a simple, standardized approach with efficient, streamlined processes and clear lines of accountability is a significant challenge. The growing number and value of claims, along with media scrutiny and increasing freedom of information requests, only add to the pressure.

The Need for Modern IT Systems

To manage this level of complexity and scale, modern, adaptable IT solutions are essential—ones that are flexible, scalable, and cost-effective.

How Asbestos SMART can Help

Asbestos SMART has been designed to help local authorities navigate these challenges more effectively, providing a comprehensive tool for managing asbestos safely. It streamlines processes, improves line of sight and ensures compliance.

Asbestos SMART provides instant access 24/7 to information regarding all already identified asbestos materials in your buildings via a smartphone or tablet: simply scanning a unique site-specific QR code eliminates the need for hard copy office manuals and fining systems.

Local authority estates and maintenance contractors will have instant visibility of the locations of any known asbestos on-site before they start work. This helps to eliminate the risk of accidental disturbance and exposure, as well as the costs associated with the disruption and delay of the project when unknown asbestos is discovered by contractors and maintenance teams.