UNISON is asking its safety reps and stewards in the schools sector to complete a short joint union survey on the management of asbestos. This will form a vital part of the evidence to the Department for Education’s review of its policy on asbestos, presented by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee’s, which UNISON is a leading member of. Responses will remain anonymous.
More than 75% of Britain’s state schools contain asbestos. Much of that is badly maintained, meaning that children and staff are exposed to this killer fibre. Over 140 school teachers have died from mesothelioma in the past 10 years as well as an unknown number of cleaners, admin staff and caretakers.
In 2012, a UNISON member died from mesothelioma, a disease he had acquired through his duties as a school caretaker in the Blackpool area.
To support its campaign against the dangers of asbestos UNISON has updated its asbestos health and safety information sheet. It is aimed at UNISON’s safety reps and describes:
- what asbestos is;
- the threat it poses to the health and safety of workers and the public;
- what UNISON is campaigning for.
Joint Union Asbestos Committee survey on asbestos in schools