Local Authorities Must Investigate Asbestos Threat in Schools

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Industrial Disease Solicitors who represented the family of a primary school teacher who died from asbestos-related cancer have today welcomed a move that will force almost 700 schools across the country to report on a presence of deadly asbestos dust within their premises.

The announcement that the Department for Education has referred 676 state-funded schools and academies in England to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been prompted by a failure to provide evidence to the governing body that they were ‘managing asbestos in line with regulatory requirements’.

The move comes amidst concerns that Local Authority funded schools are playing ‘fast and loose’ with the lives of thousands of staff, students and contractors who are at risk of unsafe exposure to asbestos, and follows a freedom of information request that has further revealed that around 90% of schools in England contain the deadly fibres which, if disturbed, can prove fatal.

But news that the HSE will struggle to inspect the number of schools involved has prompted leading industrial law experts to call on each Local Authority to ‘take responsibility’ for its own investigations.

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National law firm Simpson Millar representing Lucie Stephens, who started to campaign about asbestos in schools after her mother, Sue, died of Mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, in 2016 after working as a primary school teacher for 30 years.

An Inquest revealed that she died from an industrial disease and that she was exposed to asbestos during her time as a teacher in schools in Buckinghamshire.

Helen Grady, an Industrial Disease Solicitor at Simpson Millar said, “The fact that many school buildings across England contain asbestos is not new news, but it is extremely concerning to learn that such a large number have failed in their duty to report on how they were managing the presence of the asbestos fibres.

“The case of Sue Stephens, who sadly passed away after battling Mesothelioma in 2016, is truly devastating, as she was never aware that she was being exposed the deadly dust, so wasn’t able to protect herself.

“The risks of asbestos have been known for many decades now, and it is incomprehensible that still we are receiving reports that action has not been taken to remove the asbestos materials, or at the very least secure it.

“Children and staff are potentially being exposed to asbestos, unbeknown to them, and until action is taken, the Local Councils are playing fast and loose with the safety of thousands."

  • "Whilst we welcome the inspections that will now take place, the HSE has already said that they will struggle with the sheer volume of schools involved. It is therefore imperative that the Local Authorities do more to take responsibility for their own investigations as a matter of urgency."

    Helen Grady

    Industrial Disease Solicitor

Figures from the Office for National Statistics estimate that since 2001, a least 305 teaching and education professionals have died from Mesothelioma, with campaigners and unions saying that asbestos in schools is often poorly managed.

Helen added, “I spend a lot of time talking and advising worried parents about this issue. Indeed during many conversations with Sue, she was always so concerned for the children. Even low levels of exposure to asbestos can cause life-changing impacts - we urge the schools to consider just how dangerous to asbestos can be, and to act quickly to resolve any unsafe asbestos present in their buildings.”

For more information, see Asbestos Compensation Claims.

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