Asbestos in
schools is a "serious" problem which could threaten the health of
children, a Government report has found, as it concluded that
thousands of schools are failing to follow safety guidelines.
One fifth of schools which responded to an official survey were
found to be "not fully compliant"
with asbestos procedures, leaving over a million children
potentially exposed to dangerous fibres.
Of those, over 100 schools were deemed a "significant
cause for concern" and required government intervention. The
Department for Education (DfE) said it emailed those schools and
received "reassurances" the asbestos is now safe.
Earlier this week a report by the National Audit Office (NAO)
found that "asbestos is a significant, and potentially dangerous,
issue in many buildings, including most schools".
The NAO report also noted that "the department does not collate
information on the number of school buildings affected".
According to the National Union of Teachers, 319 teachers have
died from mesothelioma since 1980. It is estimated that for every
teacher's death, nine children will die, meaning over 100 people
will die every year in the UK as a result of exposure when they
were at school.
"These results seriously call into question the DfE's
fundamental assumption that asbestos can be managed
safely left in situ, as clearly this is not happening in too many
cases," said Chris Keates, general secretary of the teaching union
NASUWT.
"Asbestos is lethal. The only safe asbestos is
removed asbestos. The DfE must bring forward proposals for the
phased removal of all asbestos in schools without delay."
A
voluntary survey was sent to schools by the Government between
January and March last year, but only a quarter of schools
responded.
This means that true number of schools who do not comply
with asbestos safety procedures is likely to be far higher, as
the report notes that there may be a "selection bias" towards
schools that "already manage asbestos well".
A report on asbestos in schools by the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Occupational Health and Safety in 2012
recommended that the Government set up programme to
remove asbestos from all schools.
It concluded: "It is clear that, at present, there are serious
deficiencies in the way that asbestos is managed in
schools."
A DfE spokesperson said: "The health and safety of children
and staff in our schools is vital - that's why we are investing £23
billion in school buildings by 2021. This will help ensure asbestos
is managed safely and that the amount in school buildings continues
to reduce over time.
"We have published updated guidance for schools on how to manage
asbestos and the results of a survey which showed the majority of
respondents have procedures in place. We have followed up with the
schools which responded and did not have these procedures in place,
and they have all provided assurances they are now compliant with
Health and Safety Executive regulations."
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