This policy must be followed by all Buckinghamshire Council (BC) premises (including schools) to ensure the safe management of all boiler/plant rooms which contain electrical and mechanical installations that can present several hazards:

• Fire or explosion
• Asbestos
• Electricity
• Fumes and gases
• Lone working
• Contact with hazardous substances (Inc. fuel oil)

The aim of this policy is to ensure the Authority meets its statutory obligations and covers all employees, e.g.: caretakers, site maintenance staff, engineers and contractors, who enter and work in BC premises’ boiler/plant rooms.

• BC (including Schools’ premises managers and governing bodies) have a duty to ensure that all the Authority’s health and safety policies and procedures are observed and implemented.
• A copy of this policy for boiler/plant rooms must be made available by the BC premises manager to all caretakers and maintenance staff including any contractors.
• All caretakers, maintenance staff and contractors working in boiler/plant rooms must co-operate with the premises manager and follow this policy.
• Boiler/plant rooms are provided in BC premises to house mechanical and electrical equipment including boilers, air conditioning equipment, electrical distribution switchgear, pumps, water treatment etc. Boiler/plant rooms must not be used for storage or any other purpose.

• Access to all boiler/plant rooms should be restricted to site maintenance staff and servicing engineers.
• Boiler/plant rooms must be locked/secured at all times to prevent unauthorised access.
• All access doors to boiler/plant rooms should be fitted with notices clearly indicating the purpose of the rooms, the restricted access to authorised persons only and no smoking/vaping signs displayed
• A spare key to the boiler/plant room entry door must be given to the premises’ responsible person for use in case of emergencies.
• Do not obstruct access to boiler/plant rooms – emergency situations are likely to require immediate access to mains switches, gas isolation valves etc.
• All boiler/plant rooms should be adequately lit for their purpose.
• Any steep steps within or into a boiler/plant room should be fitted with appropriate handrails.

All air vents to boiler/plant rooms should always be kept open, clean and free from any obstruction.

• Flammable and combustible materials must never be stored in boiler/plant rooms. No LPG cylinders or flammable/toxic gas cylinders of any description shall be stored or left in boiler/plant rooms.
• Boiler/plant rooms must be kept completely free of clutter and must not be used under any circumstances for general storage, such as e.g., paint, building materials, PE equipment, furniture, school crossing patrol equipment, etc

• The risk of fire within boiler/plant rooms is a particular concern to the Authority and it is essential that any risks are kept to an absolute minimum by all persons.
• All BC boiler/plant rooms should be fitted with adequate fire detection and alarm systems.
• All combustion equipment shall be maintained in good order and any leaks given prompt attention by reporting any defects immediately.
• No combustible materials of any type are to be stored in BC premises’ boiler/plant rooms.
• Fire doors to boiler/plant rooms shall be maintained in good order and kept closed – locked shut when room is not being accessed by authorised persons.
• Adequate fire-fighting equipment shall be kept and regularly maintained in boiler/plant rooms.
• NB: There is no special fire-fighting equipment intended to deal with fires in gas fired boiler rooms. The gas should be shut off at the isolating valve. Isolation switches must be clearly labelled and outlined on the premises / school plan within the fire risk assessment.
• Once electrical isolation or gas shut-off is used either system should only be reconnected by a competent person.
• Gas-fired boiler/plant rooms should be fitted with adequate Carbon Dioxide detection and gas safety shut-off devices/alarm systems.

• All servicing and maintenance of mechanical and electrical installations must be carried out by a competent person or contractor. Do not attempt to undertake work which is beyond the scope of your responsibilities or competence – consult BC Property team for advice.
• All instructions relating to operating and maintenance must be available and displayed where appropriate adjacent to the system to which it applies.
• For all BC Premises (including maintained schools). BC’s reactive maintenance and servicing provider will maintain records of all work carried out in boiler/plant rooms for which they are responsible. Premises that arrange for any work themselves must ensure that all records and logbooks relating to work, and servicing are kept up to date, stored in a safe accessible place and made available to any authorised person who needs to see them.
• Any operating and maintenance manuals for plant are to be stored in a safe accessible place and made available to any authorised person who needs to use them. They should also be checked in and out when made available to any authorised person including contractors.

• Asbestos is commonly found in boiler/plant rooms in ceilings, duct shuttering, pipework insulation, gaskets, flues etc. Information and procedures relating to asbestos can be found in the property’s ‘Asbestos Log’. An asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey must be carried out and the results published before any work is undertaken that could potentially disturb any asbestos material. All work affecting asbestos materials must be carried out by licensed contractors.
• Asbestos debris and residue have been discovered in some boiler/plant rooms within BC premises during refurbishment and demolition surveys.
• Such asbestos debris and residue are not always easily identifiable and can be present in dust deposits on floors and ledges or small deposits bonded to walls and pipework which may have been painted over.
• The source of asbestos debris is not always obvious or known and can result from damage to known asbestos containing materials or from historical asbestos removal; bearing in mind that the required quality of historical asbestos removal would not now meet current standards.
• Where asbestos debris and residue has been identified or suspected all access to the boiler/plant room should be restricted and the incident reported via the Source link :Raise a request with property or facilities in an emergency call 01296 382310
• Asbestos materials in a damaged condition, often with associated debris, must not be disturbed. Access to the area should be prevented to all persons until the area has been deemed safe for reoccupation by the BC Property team.
• This will usually be as soon as removal works have been completed or following an environmental clean by a licensed contractor. The Authority has a budget to fund reactive works relating to asbestos incidents but planned capital projects are expected to include for any testing and removal of asbestos within their specific construction budgets.
• On no account should anyone, other than a licensed contractor, attempt to remove or carry out any cleaning operation of asbestos debris, no matter how minor it may seem.

For general advice:

For Health and Safety requests/enquiries please email healthandsafety@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

or alternatively call the Health and Safety Team on 01296 674412

In case of Asbestos related incidents:

You must report immediately any damage to known or suspected asbestos containing materials or debris via the source link

To report a property or facilities issue, please use Service Now.

In an emergency situation call the Helpdesk Number: 01296 382310