RE, Asbestos fear at East Lancashire schools - including 11 in Blackburn Staff representatives and members should find out about your employer’s asbestos policy and if asbestos is present in your workplace. If your school or college was built or refurbished up to 1985, you should presume that the premises contain asbestos, unless your employers have confirmed to the contrary.
It is now illegal to use asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of any premises, yet it is estimated that more than 1.5 million workplace properties still contain some form of asbestos. Certainly, asbestos is present in many educational establishments, though staff are often unaware of its presence until repairs or renovations occur.
Asbestos is often found in ceiling tiles, partitions or as an insulation material for pipes or boilers. The Health and Safety Executive advises that work produced by pupils and others should not be pinned or tacked to walls or ceilings containing asbestos. Release of deadly asbestos fibres could result. This common practice should therefore cease immediately.
R Waring (by email)
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