14 ,210 school built between 1945-1975 Many others refurbished

> 86% of 28,950 schools contain asbestos

TYPICAL SYSTEM BUILT SCHOOL About half of Schools in Britain are system

Teacher Deaths

• Britain has the highest mesothelioma death rate in the world

• 291 teachers have died since 1980

• 158 have died in the last 10 years

• Teaching Assistants, Premises Managers, Catering Staff, School Secretaries, Bursars

Future Deaths - Tip of the Iceberg?

Pupils? – no statistics

USA Study – for every teacher 9 pupils will die

Evidence to Education Select Committee 13.03.13

Professor Julian Peto Education “It is reasonable to assume in the order of 100-

150 female mesothelioma deaths a year will occur from asbestos exposure as a

child at school during the 60s and 70s.”

Male and Female deaths a year could equate to 200 to 300

A child will inhale ~ 3,000,000 asbestos fibres during 12.5 years at a school in which asbestos in good condition 0.0005 f/ml (500 f/m3)

Risk from asbestos exposureWATCH Minutes 10.11.09

There is no safe threshold below which it is safe to be exposed to airborne asbestos fibres

MRC Institute for Environment and Health - Fibrous Materials in Environment

Committee on Carcinogenicity

• Children are relatively more vulnerable to asbestos

• Child of 5 years is ~ 5 times more likely to develop mesothelioma than adult exposed at 30 years

• There is insufficient evidence about the intrinsic vulnerability of children

• Science is incomplete and precautionary principle advocated

Government Policy

Parliamentary Written Answer Minister for Schools 08.02.11

Asbestos which is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed or damaged is better left in place and managed until the end of the life of the building as this presents less risk of exposure to the occupants than the process of removing it.

IS GOVERNMENT POLICY WORKING IN PRACTICE?

Sealing in Asbestos?

0.72f/ml

720,000 fibres per cubic metre of air

DRILLING AIB. Cloud of Fibres. Many Amosite 2 f/ml -10f/ml (2 million -10 million f/m 3 )

HSE “School caretakers have been identified as a particular group at risk due to the nature of their work (e.g. drilling and fixing.)”

Classroom Cupboards AIB back

Cleaning 0.07 - 0.84 f/ml (70,000 f/ f/m 3 – 840,000 f/ f/m 3 )

Removing Stationary 0.02 - 0.05f/ml Amosite (20,000 f/ f/m 3 – 50,000 f/ f/m 3 )

Everyday Activities

• 1987 Test• Slamming a door

five times • 0.33 f/ml• 330,000 fibres per

cubic metre of air

Warm Air Heating Cabinets

1981 HSE tests - CLASP schools

• Emitting amosite fibres

• 5000 fibres per cubic metre of air

• HSE issued warning

2012 HSL tests - Welsh school

• emitting amosite fibres

• 1700 to 4300 fibres per cubic metre of air

• HSE refuse to issue warning

Are schools managing their asbestos?

“Schools are not managing their asbestos either effectively or safely.”

“These are not minor problems that have crept in over recent years; rather they are fundamental problems that are endemic in schools in the UK.” “Over the years the school stock has not been well maintained so that as the fabric of the buildings has deteriorated then so has the asbestos.”

Asbestos Consultants Association Assessment of asbestos management in schools 24 Jan 2010

2009/10 HSE Survey Local Authority Schools

42 Local Authorities in England inspected

10 HSE Enforcement Notices

32 HSE ADVICE

2011 HSE Survey Non Local Authority Schools

164 Non LA schools in England inspected

28 HSE Enforcement Action

110 HSE ADVICE to improve

2014 Asbestos Management Non Local Authority Schools

153 Non Local Authority Schools inspected

29% Written advice or Improvement Notices

• failure to undertake a survey

• no written asbestos management plan

• inadequate training of maintenance personnel

• surveys and records not kept up to date

• failure to inform people of the presence of asbestos

Policies in other countries

• USA introduced AHERA Regulations 1986 - mesothelioma rate stabilised since 1999

• Australia and Europe working towards progressive removal

• Netherlands are introducing an environmental level

JUAC CAMPAIGNACHIEVEMENTS

Campaign Achievements

• Continuation Department for Education Steering Group 2010

• Department for Education Online Asbestos Guidance for School 2013

• Risk Assessment of children to asbestos – Committee on Carcinogenicity 2013

• Education Select Committee Hearing – Asbestos on Schools – March 2013

• DfE Review 2014/15

DfE Review Asbestos Management in Schools2014/15

• Asbestos in Schools acknowledged as a serious issue

• Risk Protection Arrangement – DfE - PL Insurance Asbestos Claims

• Training & Guidance

Acknowledgement that asbestos training is mandatory

Improved Online Guidance

• Air Sampling

Prof Julian Peto – All that matters is how many fibres are being breathed in

Trial – 50 schools

JUAC CAMPAIGNOBJECTIVES

Increased vulnerability of children (CoC)

Should underlie all future asbestos policies for school

Openness

Policy of openness – unacceptable that a few should know the facts and for those facts to be kept from others

Audit & Assessment of riskThere should be a risk/benefit assessment to include:• Audit of condition and extent of asbestos in schools• Assessment of how many staff and pupils are likely to have died and will

die• Cost per fatality • Cost of management in situ v long term strategy of asbestos removal 

Proactive inspections

• Reinstatement of HSE pro-active inspections • HSE to develop a School specific risk assessment

Training

• Mandatory training tailored to role for school governors, head teachers and all support staff

Environmental Level

• A specific environmental level should be adopted for schools containing asbestos

  

Long Term Progressive Removal

• So long as asbestos remains in schools it will be disturbed and damaged exposures will continue

• Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB) accessible to children should never be classified low risk - should be enclosed and prioritised for removal

• Long term strategy for the removal of all asbestos - prioritise schools containing most dangerous asbestos

PROGRESSIVE REMOVAL

The Price of Failure

ELIZABETH BRADFORD

JUACFurther Information

Julie Winn, Chair 07920 514 254www.juac.co.uk

jwinn@juac.co.uk