Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, duty holders managing premises containing asbestos have a responsibility to identify, assess and manage the risks of this material. Current proposals are to move this responsibility from local authorities onto school governers.
Ms Winn, Chair of the Joint Union Asbestos Committee also a former chair of governors, said: “Governors freely volunteered their time and expertise to support schools, but this is a step too far. It is hard to envisage how governors will cope with this additional responsibility with the limited time and resources available to them.
“Although more than 75% of all UK schools contain asbestos, currently there is not any specific school guidance for the management of asbestos nor any specific training on the management of asbestos in schools. The Government has also recently scrapped the health and safety inspections of schools that ensured they were achieving safe standards.
“This is yet a further attempt to deregulate without proper consideration of the practical impact on the risk to the health and safety of staff and pupils in UK schools. The UK already has the highest incidence of mesothelioma deaths in the world, with teacher deaths from mesothelioma increasing year on year. We fear these changes will put more staff and pupils at risk of potentially deadly exposure to asbestos.”
