Published: Thursday, 30th October, 2008 09:30
149 Fife schools contain asbestos
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MOST schools in Fife contain potentially lethal asbestos, it’s been revealed.
A Freedom of Information request has shown that Fife Council has 149 primary and secondary schools out of a total of 175 which have asbestos.
In the past three years the council have reportedly spent £429,500 on asbestos management but has no planned programme of removal.
National guidelines state that asbestos is safe if left undisturbed.
The Press broke the news that Fife Council recently spent £115,000 dealing with asbestos in Tulliallan Primary School during the October holidays.
The work was phase two of a programme which follows on from preventative measures carried out over the summer break.
The revelation comes after the Health and Safety Executive launched a ‘Asbestos – The Hidden Killer’ campaign to raise awareness among tradesmen that they are at risk from exposure to asbestos.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that every week 20 tradesmen died from asbestos-related diseases and this number is on the increase year by year.
Breathing in deadly fibres could lead to mesothelioma and lung cancer, both of which can be fatal, and the debilitating condition asbestosis.
Fife Council’s performance and resources group service manager, Chris Anderson, defended the local authority’s programme of asbestos management and stated it followed the guidelines laid down by the Health and Safety Executive.
“The management and control of asbestos-containing materials in Fife Council properties is given high importance and we have clear and robust policies in place to manage any such material,” he said.
“The policies follow HSE guidelines that asbestos should be managed but should not be removed unless it is damaged and posing a risk.
"Only if a building is being refurbished or altered would the asbestos be otherwise removed.”
Mr Anderson added that there was an on-going programme of works to manage and assess asbestos and that work would only be undertaken when no pupils or staff were present.
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