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As the June/July 2026 school holidays approach, facilities managers, business managers and school leadership teams across Australia are preparing maintenance programs, contractor works and refurbishment projects.
For many schools, the holiday period is the only practical opportunity to access ceiling spaces, roof voids, plant rooms and service areas before students and staff return.
It is also when many schools discover issues they did not know existed.
Asbestos-containing materials. Mould growth. Water damage. Ventilation deficiencies. Indoor air quality concerns.
The question is not whether your school contains risk. The question is whether those risks have been identified before contractors begin work.
Many Australian schools were built during periods when asbestos-containing materials were commonly used throughout construction.
Public reporting has previously indicated that more than 1,000 NSW schools contain asbestos-containing materials requiring ongoing management and monitoring.
Under NSW WHS regulations, asbestos management plans and asbestos registers must be reviewed at least every 5 years and whenever refurbishment, maintenance works or changes to asbestos-containing materials occur.
The Victorian School Building Authority audited 1,712 government school sites and identified high-risk asbestos at 497 schools.
The Victorian Government subsequently committed more than $400 million to asbestos remediation and removal programs across government schools.
Victorian asbestos regulations also require asbestos registers to be reviewed at least every 5 years.
Queensland schools continue to manage asbestos across ageing education infrastructure.
Public reporting has identified asbestos-related remediation activities occurring at more than 100 Queensland state schools in a single financial year.
Queensland asbestos management procedures require asbestos registers to be maintained and reviewed whenever circumstances change that may affect asbestos management.
Recent asbestos-related investigations across Australian schools have reinforced the importance of maintaining accurate building information and proactively managing environmental risks.
The asbestos-contaminated mulch investigations across Sydney schools demonstrated how quickly environmental risks can become operational issues requiring site investigations, remediation works and significant stakeholder management.
Across Australia, regulators continue to emphasise the importance of maintaining current asbestos information, safe contractor management practices and effective environmental health controls.
While every site is different, the lesson is consistent:
During holiday periods, contractors commonly access:
These are often the same locations where environmental and compliance risks are discovered.
Many schools schedule:
Before these projects commence, schools should ensure they understand the condition of their facilities and any environmental risks that may affect the works.
Before maintenance works begin, schools need to detect:
JTA Health Safety & Noise Specialists supports schools through:
Once risks are identified, schools can better protect:
JTA assists with:
Many people assume an asbestos review simply involves checking a register.
In reality, a typical review may include:
Review of:
Inspection of:
Assessment of:
Recommendations may include:
One of the biggest misconceptions is that these reviews are only about asbestos.
In reality, schools commonly identify a range of environmental and maintenance-related issues.
In many cases, the issue is not the presence of a hazard itself, but that building information and environmental conditions have changed over time.
Many schools use holiday periods to undertake maintenance works, contractor activities, refurbishment projects and environmental health reviews.
JTA supports schools, universities and education facilities across Australia, with additional occupational hygiene resources available in Victoria and New South Wales during peak school holiday maintenance periods.
29 June to 10 July 2026
27 June to 12 July 2026
27 June to 12 July 2026
4 July to 19 July 2026
4 July to 19 July 2026
4 July to 19 July 2026
4 July to 19 July 2026
20 June to 13 July 2026
Due to increased demand from schools, universities and government facilities, JTA has allocated additional occupational hygiene and asbestos assessment resources across Victoria and New South Wales during the June/July school holiday period.
This allows JTA to support:
while helping facilities managers coordinate inspections alongside planned maintenance and refurbishment programs.
Whether your school is planning maintenance works, refurbishment projects, contractor activities, asbestos reviews, mould investigations or indoor air quality assessments, the upcoming school holiday period provides an ideal opportunity to identify risks before they become larger problems.
JTA supports education facilities across Australia, with additional resources currently available in Victoria and New South Wales to assist schools during the June/July 2026 maintenance period.
Limited school holiday inspection placements available.
1300 856 282
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References
1 https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2018995118
Head Office Melboune
139 Ormond Road Elwood, VIC 3184
Mornington Peninsula
20 Lister Avenue,
Sorrento,
VIC 3943
JTA Health, Safety & Noise Specialists acknowledges the Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which the home of JTA resides. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.
