Poor management leave teachers at risk from asbestos

Poor asbestos management in schools is putting teachers at risk, are the findings of a new survey looking into how schools manage the deadly substance.

The report the Assessment of Asbestos Management in Schools has been published this week by the Asbestos Testing and Consultants Association (ATAC).

It inspected asbestos management in 12 schools who volunteered for the project, none of whom had their own written asbestos management plan.

Asbestos claimed the lives of 92 teachers and lecturers between 2001 and 2005.

This comes as little surprise in light of the ATAC’s findings on this project.

Of the 12 schools examined, one school inspected had no asbestos management, two other schools did not know who was in charge of asbesto management, and shockingly, more than half of the schools had evidence of damage to asbestos.

Total removal of all asbestos from school buildings has been a strong policy of the National Union of Teachers and they are working with ATAC with the aim of visiting at least 100 schools.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: “Although the sample is small, the flaws highlighted reflect what the NUT has found to be the case over many years – that systems of asbestos management in schools fall far short of expectations.

“We simply must move forward on this issue. I call upon the Government to finally commit to a national audit of asbestos management in educational establishments.  Only then will we have a true picture of a problem in urgent need of address.”