Union ups school asbestos campaign

TUC Risks reported in September that Teaching union ATL is ramping up its awareness campaign on the dangers posed by asbestos in school buildings. The union says over 400 ATL members have so far signed its asbestos register, to indicate they may have been exposed at work.

ATL says the number on the register 'is growing daily'. As part of its health and safety training for reps ATL is using the Asbestos Forum's DVD, 'Mesothelioma: The human face of an asbestos epidemic' . 'We are also providing the DVD to our safety reps - which in turn give us an opportunity to highlight the risks of asbestos exposure at branch meetings,' said ATL safety adviser Doru Athinodoru. 'The reps will then be required to find out about their employers' asbestos policy and if asbestos is present in their workplace.'

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show 147 education workers died from mesothelioma in the decade between 1991 and 2000, 73 of them primary and secondary school teachers. Cumbrian coroner David Osborne last year called for asbestos to be removed from all schools to protect pupils and staff.

The Asbestos Forum's mesothelioma clip has been viewed over 67,000 times on YouTube since its launch on 27 February 2007.