Risks of Asbestos In Schools
Whenever asbestos is found in schools, it always makes the headlines and causes panic amongst staff and parents of pupils.
But how great is the risk and who is likely to be affected?
In most cases, whether in a school or other environment, asbestos is usually quite safe unless it’s disturbed.
Problems occur when people working on the building are unaware that the material they are working on contains asbestos.
This is why there is a legal requirement for all commercial and puiblic buildings to have an asbestos register, so that the location of any asbestos is known before work commences.
Those at most risk from asbestos exposure in schools are people involved in maintenance, repair or construction activities, not usually the pupils or teachers.
This includes small jobs such as the installation of computer network cabling, telephone systems, shelving etc.
Caretakers are a particular group at risk, though of course, vandalism by pupils or others will also result in the release of asbestos fibres, for example, if panels are broken or kicked in.
There have of course, been cases of teachers being affected by asbestos exposure, but thankfully these are rare and usually occur because they have unwittingly disturbed material by perhaps pinning work to asbestos insulation board or ceiling tiles.
If you work in a school, you should know where asbestos is present, what condition is is in and understand how to manage it – you do not have the be the duty holder to know this information.
Questions
Do you know if your school/college contains asbestos?
Do you know what condition any asbestos containing material is in?
Have you informed those people who may disturb the asbestos that it’s there?
If you have answered ‘No’ to any of these questions, you may not be meeting your legal duties in relation to asbestos in work premises and you will need to take action to ensure compliance with the law.
If your school does not have an asbestos register, call 0121 711 7110 and ask for David Carter or Robert Street.
We are usually able to provide a quotation over the telephone if we know:
- The location of the school
- The number of buildings and out-buildings
- The total number of rooms
Once the building has been surveyed, we produce the asbestos register which is then kept on site for reference, identifying areas where asbestos is present.