0121 711 7110

Although asbestos was banned from use in the UK in 1990, most of our schools still contain asbestos in some form and through a combination of age, deterioration and poor asbestos management, some is now considered to be in poor condition.

Reports from the HSE suggest that a small but increasing number of school teachers are now contracting asbestos related illnesses such as Asbestosis, also known as Mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that afects the lungs over a period of up to 40 years.

See this BBC TV article from 30 November 2009

The asbestos concerned is not usually the asbestos cement panels used on roofs that are so common on industrial estates and garages for example, but the Asbestos Insulation Board used on the inside of buildings for partitioning, insulation and fire breaks.

In the 1980’s schools were built with large glass and panel facades, recognised by the large, usually blue coloured panels.

These blue panels are often found to be asbestos insulation board, or they may have asbestos insulation boards behind them.

In good condition, they present no real danger, but as they become damaged, they readily release fibres and it is this that causes the problem.

Other areas for concern are the boiler rooms where blue asbestos was used for lagging pipes and the older type boilers.

These types of installation are thankfully quite rare now, but if this type of asbestos is present in a school building, it really should be looked at and where possible, removed or isolated.

The HSE discusses increasing levels of asbestos related illness in our teaching population, but makes no mention of the potential effect on our children who spend around 5 years in each school at a time when their lungs are still developing.

Since 1994 it has been a legal requirement for all commercial and public buildings to have an asbestos register.

Concerned staff and parents of pupils should in the first instance, contact the school head and ask if the premises have an up to date asbestos register.

If not, we’ll be pleased to provide a quotation and conduct a thorough survey along with recommendations for safe asbestos management.

We have conducted similar surveys on many school buildings and we travel anywhere in the UK.

For more information, please call David Carter or Robert Street on 0121 711 7110.