Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland

Background

A school roof failure in Essex in 2018 led to schools and education estates being advised to identify and assess RAAC. An alert by the Standing Committee of Structural Safety (SCOSS) followed in 2019 and NHS England identified several hospitals with RAAC at that time.

The Scottish Government had taken action on RAAC following the SCOSS alert, particularly in the area of the fire service estate. In health, in December 2022, NHS Scotland Assure commissioned a survey team to establish the extent and condition of RAAC across the NHS Estate. Work had also commenced to understand the extent of RAAC across the schools estate with a meeting in the summer of 2023 between Scottish Government officials and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to discuss school estate matters including RAAC, as well as meetings with several local authorities individually to discuss their specific issues.

However, the decision on the part of the Department for Education (DfE) to change their risk appetite regarding RAAC on 31 August 2023, following the failure of a RAAC panel in a school in England, created more widespread concern and gave rise to increased public and political focus.

The approach taken by DfE in closing affected areas until remediation or mitigation was put in place was not followed in Scotland as the expert advice on RAAC from IStructE had not changed. However, in order to provide further reassurance to the public, there was a significant increase in RAAC assessment activity across multiple sectors.

While the specific actions taken forward by the Scottish Government – both before and after the DfE’s change of risk appetite - are set out below it is important to note that throughout, the safety of building users has been considered to be of primary importance as part of any assessment process undertaken by any sector.

Advice and guidance

In addressing issues relating to RAAC, the Scottish Government has relied on and promoted the risk based approach that is set out within the guidance on RAAC assessment by The Institution of Structural Engineers and accessible on the Institution’s website. For more information, read IStructE statement & FAQs.

The Scottish Government has also engaged closely with other key representatives in the construction industry such as the Manufacturing Technology Centre as well as those involved in research in the field of RAAC, most notably within the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University. Such organisations, along with others including the Health and Safety Executive are at the forefront of providing advice and guidance to those affected by RAAC, or as suspecting the presence of RAAC.

With particular regard to the guidance provided by the HSE, the Scottish Government takes the view that it is the responsibility of those who have a legal duty to manage buildings, such as building owners and landlords, to establish whether or not the buildings they have responsibility for contain RAAC, in compliance with relevant legislation. And if RAAC is found, to then put in place appropriate measures to manage any risk in order to maintain a safe workplace.