Education Today Education Today Magazine
Inspectas Compliance is an established team of educational property compliance experts specialising in asbestos management, fire safety and health and safety.
With more than 150 clients across multiple sectors including universities, multi academy trusts (MATs) and council-run schools, the team is multidisciplinary and fully accredited in all aspects of compliance.
Formed in 2013 by asbestos management professionals Craig Candlish and Matthew Fahy, Inspectas pledged to become a transformational force in the sector.
Director Craig Candlish said: “We understand the complexities of working on educational sites and specialise in working on projects where portfolios of properties need managing and supervising. Our priority is to bring clarity to educational property and estate building, maintenance and refurbishments – areas which are often fraught with legislation and uncertainty.
He added: “We know that schools operate in a dynamic environment and must have fast access to compliance experts when needed. Schools and universities can be challenging settings for undertaking onsite work due to the high footfall and presence of young people during regular working hours and this means that our service delivery must work within unusual time constraints and problem solving to get around unexpected or difficult situations.”
Since celebrating a decade in business in September 2023, Inspectas has doubled its office space and made a succession of new appointments, strengthening its team to help even more schools navigate the minefield of asbestos, health and safety, CDM and fire safety legislation.
Alongside its industry-leading work in the education sector, the business has social responsibility at its heart and is addressing issues such as gender representation in the asbestos industry with the recent appointment of trainee analyst surveyor Lilly Holden and business apprentice Faye Oxley. The communitycentric team is also committed to being a good neighbour by sponsoring mental-health boosting activities such as its local all-female rounders team and bringing to life a much-needed forest school at the Co-op Delius Academy for children with special needs.
Craig continued: “We are a national business with the interests of future generations at our core – this could be members of our own team or the young people thriving in the schools we support with our “peace of mind” compliance services.
“Our mission is to alleviate the stress that every school, university or academy faces when trying to keep on top of complex, ever-changing legislation. We’re an extension of their team and for some clients, we have permanent, on-site colleagues who problem solve, advise and take overall responsibility for estates compliance.”
He added: “We are delighted to bring our property expertise into the heart of the UK’s educational sector. With a rich history of educational support and long term contracts, we work inhouse or off site, leaving you to focus on your specialist areas, safe in the knowledge that asbestos compliance, CDM, fire safety and health and safety is quite literally, in safe hands.”
Customer testimony
Abbey Multi Academy Trust is a Leeds-based Church of England Trust comprising eight schools. Inspectas delivers an extended asbestos management portfolio across all eight properties.
The Estates and Facilities Manager said: “I am impressed with the response from Inspectas and the support and help we’re given. Out-of-hours call-outs are dealt with quickly and efficiently, while being sensitive to staff and student concerns and the tricky working environment of a “live” school!
“I’m really grateful for all the advice given and for the upcoming asbestos management training that is supplied to our Trust and would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Inspectas for helping us manage such a tricky issue as asbestos!”
Inspectas
https://www.inspectas.co.uk
For more information on how Inspectas can help make sense of your property compliance, please call 0800 802 162 or email info@inspectas.co.uk
