Asbestos Issue worse than previously thought
Craig Evans, General Manager of UKATA, said: “UKATA has been campaigning on the issue of asbestos in schools and public buildings generally for some time now. While figures from the BBC that suggest asbestos is present in nine out of ten schools are higher than official estimates, it will comes as no surprise to those involved in health and safety. The point to make is that asbestos can be managed, as long at the wider issues raised by this killer dust are not swept under the carpet.”
Only last year, UKATA issued warnings to Birmingham City Council after the authority advised Yardley School to open despite being contaminated by asbestos following a fire at a nearby industrial estate.
In post war 1940s Britain, cheap building materials that offered the finest qualities were understandably popular which led to the wide use of asbestos, particularly in schools. The chances are therefore high that any school built between 1945 and 1980 contains asbestos.
Mr Wallace, the man at the centre of the BBC coverage, was awarded £275,000 by Devon County Council as a result of being exposed to asbestos in a school where he worked after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer associated with asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is still the biggest workplace killer in the UK and The House of Commons Education Committee heard as many as 300 former school pupils develop asbestos related cancer every year, while the National Union of Teachers has called for all asbestos in schools to be removed.
Craig added: “Due to asbestos being bound up with the integral structures of so many school buildings, removal programmes would be costly and in many cases, impractical. But if the correct steps are taken to comply with the law and treat responsibility for asbestos management with the seriousness it deserves, the risk to staff, students and contractors can be managed effectively.”
The danger with asbestos occurs when dust becomes airborne and is subsequently inhaled as the result of the damaging or degrading of materials that contain it. The dangerous nature of asbestos means that it is essential that anyone liable to disturb asbestos during their work, or who supervise such employees, receives the correct level of information, instruction and training to enable them to carry out their work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others.
The HSE website contains sections dedicated to providing information and advice for the effective management of asbestos in schools. See http://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/asbestos-faqs.htm
UKATA sets standards in asbestos training and ensures that its members meet those standards. A full list of approved asbestos training providers can be found on the UKATA website, www.ukata.org.uk
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