Some British schools are failing to meet a legal duty to protect their pupils from potentially deadly asbestos.
According to the BBC, a report by the Asbestos Training and Consultancy Association (or ATAC) said that none of the 16 schools it surveyed were meeting health and safety rules on managing the substance.
Teaching unions want a full audit of the danger from asbestos, which can cause a lethal form of cancer. The government’s current policy on asbestos is that it should be left in place and managed rather than removed. However, the survey has revealed that many schools lack the resources to manage asbestos safely.
The ATAC says asbestos had been damaged in more than half of the schools they visited for this study and it is when asbestos is disturbed that it becomes dangerous. Their chairman John O’Sullivan said:
“Numerous incidents have taken place where asbestos fibres have been released.… The increasing numbers of mesothelioma deaths amongst teachers and support staff is testament that the policy of management has failed”
Asbestos is present in a number of schools as it was a commonly used building material from 1930 to around 1980. However, asbestos can cause a number of diseases such as mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer, and asbestosis. There can be a long delay between initial exposure to asbestos and death and this is typically between 30 and 45 years from initial exposure.
The government has acknowledged that asbestos is a big problem and, though it is difficult to say that the survey is representative of Nationwide due to its small size, more needs doing about it if we are not to have further generations continue to suffer injury due to the governments unwillingness to stump up the money required to deal with the problem. They are slowly addressing this, producing guidance on asbestos management and offering training but this can only be a temporary measure and a long-term plan should be implemented to remove asbestos from schools.
