Earlier this month more than 100 schools in England were told to close certain buildings or put effective safety measures in place, due to the buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), a lightweight concrete used in roofing, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s. This type of concrete has a limited lifespan (approximately 30 years) and can be vulnerable to collapse when exposed to moisture. RAAC has been widely used in public sector buildings such as schools and hospitals, but may also be found in private commercial buildings.
Guidance has been issued by various professional bodies and government agencies around how to mitigate your risk as a building owner, and we’ve set out examples of steps to take below. Note that this blog is for general guidance only and doesn’t include legal advice; if you are concerned about how to assess for or deal with RAAC in your building you should contact a qualified professional (see this guidance for a list of how to find a relevant professional). You can also use our Ask a Lawyer service to access a specialist lawyer in a few simple steps.
Don’t forget that you are legally required to carry out regular general health and safety risk assessments at your workplace; you can find template risk assessments here.
How to find out whether your building contains RAAC
RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) has issued some guidance on how to assess whether your building might contain RAAC. Initial steps include consideration of the following:
- Be aware that buildings or extensions built before the mid 1950s or after the early 1990s are unlikely to contain RAAC (but you shouldn’t rely solely on the date of construction when making your assessment).
- You can ask your local authority whether any similar buildings to yours in the area are known to contain RAAC.
- You can check your building records to see if RAAC is mentioned (but if it is not mentioned, this doesn’t guarantee that RAAC wasn’t used). Other names for RAAC may include Siporex, Durox, Celcon, Hebel and Ytong.
Overall, RICS’ advice to the public is not to try to identify whether there is RAAC in your buildings or to assess the condition of known RAAC planks yourself. If you are unsure whether your building includes RAAC, you should get an appropriately qualified building surveyor or structural engineer to inspect and assess your building. You can find more guidance on how to find a qualified professional in this Department for Education guidance.
Beware of the possibility of asbestos when conducting assessments or remedial work, as some buildings containing RAAC were built during a period when the use of asbestos was still legal. Any remediation of RAAC must take into account asbestos identification on site, which should be carefully managed if it is present.
What to do if you find out that your building contains RAAC
The Welsh Government advises that not all buildings containing RAAC or autoclave aerated concrete (AAC) are inherently dangerous; the risk in each building will depend on factors such as the quality of construction, maintenance and specific conditions they are exposed to. Having a regular inspection regime in place and ensuring buildings are properly maintained will help to identify any issues with RAAC at an early stage.
If you find out that your building contains RAAC, your engineer or other qualified professional will need to assess whether remedial work, further monitoring, and/or strengthening will be needed. You should also make sure that your building manager is experienced in buildings and construction and aware of the risks posed by RAAC planks and panels.
If you find out that your building contains RAAC, steps to take to mitigate risk include:
- restricting access to the relevant area until you have assessed the risk;
- having your building inspected by a qualified professional and carrying out a risk assessment, including asking anyone who deals with the building whether they have noticed any signs of deterioration of the RAAC panels/planks;
- assessing whether remedial or replacement work is needed and if not, having regular inspections to find any signs of deterioration and an appropriate maintenance programme in place.
You can find further Local Government Association guidance about what types of maintenance checks are required and how a building should be inspected here.
The content in this article is up to date at the date of publishing. The information provided is intended only for information purposes, and is not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Sparqa Legal’s Terms of Use apply.
Marion joined Sparqa Legal as a Senior Legal Editor in 2018. She previously worked as a corporate/commercial lawyer for five years at one of New Zealand’s leading law firms, Kensington Swan (now Dentons Kensington Swan), and as an in-house legal consultant for a UK tech company. Marion regularly writes for Sparqa’s blog, contributing across its commercial, IP and health and safety law content.