Call to use education and transparency to manage schools' asbestos crisis

A recent report into materials containing asbestos in schools has set off alarms. MSS Group Business Unit Lead Darren Phelan argues that by educating the public and being transparent with parents about asbestos risks and procedures in schools, we can drive change on a national level.

From the 1960s onwards, materials containing asbestos were commonly used in construction, both for fireproofing and for thermal insulation. All forms of asbestos were finally completely banned in 1999. However, materials containing asbestos are still present in a significant number of UK buildings, those used for education and for other purposes.

Recent work by the Department for Education to understand the extent of asbestos across school estates found that 80 per cent of schools had identified asbestos, rising to 97 per cent in system builds such as Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme (CLASP) buildings, prefabricated structures commonly erected from 1957 to the 1970s. This has naturally raised concerns among the public about the safety of school children, given that asbestos can cause a fatal and untreatable cancer in the lining of the lungs called mesothelioma.

Transparency might seem unhelpful – the mere presence of asbestos is enough to cause panic, and looking at a floor plan of asbestos-containing materials in a school will show hundreds of items that will only add to that panic.

This is because, largely, the public will expect asbestos to be removed rather than managed in situ. Not all asbestos needs to be removed, at least not with the same priority, and the Control of Asbestos Regulations will guide schools to manage asbestos based on two types of risk: material risk and priority risk.

Material risk refers to the composition of the material. Asbestos on its own is not necessarily a problem. However, in its friable state – where it is easily crumbled or pulverised – microscopic fibres can be easily inhaled, and this becomes very dangerous. But non-friable asbestos-containing materials – for example, asbestos bitumen, which was often used as an adhesive for floor tiles – have a very low material risk.

Priority risk relates to where the material is located in the building and how likely it is to be disturbed, and in this area it is the small things that really add up. Asbestos insulation in a ceiling void is unlikely to be disturbed, but take an asbestos insulation board panel in the hall: a child kicks a ball and it hits the panel, or a child kicks or punches the wall. This creates the potential for contamination from a friable material. Even something that appears to be a minor issue, such as pinning displays or decorations into ceiling tiles or wall panels, can lead to asbestos contamination.

It is crucial that parents, and indeed teachers and anyone involved in the school, understand these distinctions.
Education is only part of the equation, as managing the number of asbestos-containing materials in a school is no small task, and many floor plans and asbestos plans are only updated yearly, sometimes even less often. If materials containing asbestos are not being inspected frequently, the required evidence is not being supplied to allow those in positions of authority to take the necessary action.

Parents across all UK schools will want the reassurance provided by a clear and standard approach that all education authorities are required to apply. Parents will also want to know that all contractors working in schools are compliant with asbestos regulations. In our experience, the larger contractors that carry out big renovations are generally found to be compliant, but these checks need to be required of all contractors and maintenance staff. And this should be required even if they are carrying out quick fixes and repairs.

Parents will want to know how schools are managing asbestos risks. That means that the duty holder, most often the headteacher, sometimes the academy trust head or the local authority, will need to be well prepared for this.
This preparation should involve ensuring everything is in line with guidance. Has there been a site-wide asbestos management survey? Was it undertaken by a suitably trained surveyor and UKAS-accredited organisation? How old is it? How often are asbestos-containing materials reinspected? Are suitable refurbishment asbestos surveys carried out before work is undertaken?

As per the Health and Safety Executive, an asbestos management plan needs to include who is responsible for managing asbestos, including deputies; an asbestos register, including the site plan showing the location of asbestos and any areas not inspected, the schedule for monitoring the condition of asbestos and how this register will be shared with workers or contractors; control arrangements to keep materials containing asbestos from being disturbed; and emergency procedures in case asbestos is disturbed.
If materials that contain asbestos are in good condition, it is generally safer to leave them in place and manage them, with priority for repair or removal being given to those that are damaged or those that carry a higher priority risk rating.

Allowing, or even encouraging, parents to be able to view an asbestos management plan is important. By being able to show that the school knows where the asbestos is, how it will manage it and why, we give parents confidence in their decision to send their children to that school. But it also raises the bar across education, effectively driving other schools into better compliance.

In the short term, this is vital to get compliance up and instil confidence. In the long term, we need to make sure that the legacy of asbestos isn’t forgotten. A national schools asbestos register would ensure that every school in the country would operate on the same level of transparency. Funding will need to be found for this, and having a national register will add more pressure on schools to find funding for improved management and remediation; however, the costs of not doing so will mean that the unnecessary deaths from asbestos-related diseases for teaching staff and ex-school children will continue.