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Asbestos Management in Schools and CollegesProject to Improve the Asbestos Management in Schools and Colleges
The Problem
Most schools in the country contain asbestos: all of it is old and much of it is deteriorating. Frequent asbestos incidents have released significant levels of asbestos fibres, and tests have shown that in some schools everyday classroom activities can release dangerous levels of asbestos fibres into the classrooms. There is no minimum level of exposure to asbestos below which there is no risk – all exposures are cumulative and potentially contribute towards the development of the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.
Sadly, the end result is that the occupants of schools and colleges are dying of mesothelioma, with the number of school teachers and teachers and lecturers in higher and further education affected increasing year on year. A total of 272 died between 1980-2005 with 21 dying in the period 1980-1985 and 92 in the period 2001-2005.
The teachers are, however, the tip of the iceberg because for every teacher there are 20 to 30 children and they are more vulnerable to the effects of asbestos but, because of the long latency, they do not develop the disease for decades after the exposure, so their deaths are recorded under whatever occupation they had at the time and not as the result of asbestos exposure at school. In the USA they estimated that 1,000 teachers and children would subsequently die from asbestos exposure in their schools with 90% of those being children.
The ultimate goal must be the complete removal of all asbestos from schools, but that cannot be achieved overnight, particularly as the Government’s policy does not advocate the removal of asbestos. Instead it considers that so long as asbestos is in good condition and not likely to be disturbed then it is safer to manage it than it is to remove it. That policy depends on every school in the country having a totally effective system of asbestos management, and the Government acknowledges that this is not always the case. Despite this, it has neither allocated the resources so that schools can effectively manage their asbestos nor assessed the scale of the problem or the risks.
All the teaching unions are concerned at the growing number of asbestos-related deaths in their profession and the lack of a proportionate response from the Government to address this serious problem. A year ago the teaching unions were approached by the asbestos consultants’ association, ATaC, as they are equally concerned that all too often they find that the asbestos in schools is in a bad condition and that in many cases the standards of asbestos management are not of an acceptable standard. They have therefore joined with the teaching unions in a project designed to improve those standards.
Assessing and Improving the Standards of Asbestos Management
As part of the project they initially wish to assess the standards of asbestos management in 100 schools. The asbestos surveys and management plans will be checked and on the ground inspections will be carried out to assess the effectiveness of the schools’ systems of asbestos management. Only experienced asbestos consultants will carry out the assessment and the names of the schools will remain anonymous. If improvements need to be made then advice will be given. The assessments will be carried out with no charge to the schools.
The information will be collated in a report, and guidance and training courses will be designed so that all schools can achieve the standards of the best. The report will also be presented to Parliament.
Part of the 100 school assessment will be trialling and perfecting systems of air sampling. This is because present systems of surveying identify only the easily accessible materials, do not identify the hidden asbestos and almost never identify whether there are asbestos fibres airborne in the rooms.
Although the hazard is the asbestos material within the structure of the building, the risk is the airborne fibres as they can be inhaled by the occupants, therefore a method needs to be evolved to assess the levels of airborne fibres. To achieve this, comprehensive and widespread air and static sampling needs to be carried out in schools where there is the potential for asbestos fibre release.
Although the initial trials will take place in a limited number of schools, the aim of the project is to develop practical and effective systems for non-intrusive, widespread air or electrostatic sampling to take place in many schools. This will identify where there is a danger and what types of asbestos fibres are being released. This is of particular importance in identifying whether hidden, damaged and deteriorating asbestos materials are releasing asbestos fibres into the rooms. This will allow targeted remedial measures to be taken where there is a real risk.
It is envisaged that once the 100 schools project has been completed that the systems that have been evolved will be used to assess and improve the standards in a far greater number of schools.
This is an important project and is the first step in improving the asbestos management in schools. It is supported by Voice and all the other teaching unions.
There is much to be gained by being part of the initial project, for the assessment will identify any weaknesses in the present standards of asbestos management and advise on improvements, and all of this will be at no cost or embarrassment to the school.
So that the project can succeed it requires school authorities to volunteer their schools for an assessment to take place. Ideally this project wants to start as soon as possible and therefore we would appreciate it if head teachers could contact Voice so that arrangement can be made.
To volunteer your school or for further information please contact David Brierley, Solicitor, at Voice: davidbrierley@voicetheunion.org.uk
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