Asbestos in schools: what parents and owners should know
A school is a workplace, so the rules are not the ones that apply to your house. Here is who is responsible, and what carries over to home.
Asbestos in a school is managed by the school's owner, not by parents. Many Australian school buildings went up before asbestos products were phased out. So some older classrooms, demountables and sheds may contain bonded material. Bonded and undisturbed is the usual state.
Why schools are a special case
A school is a workplace. That means the person in control of the site has duties under the WHS laws of their state or territory. Those duties normally include finding out where asbestos is, recording it and keeping it from being disturbed.
Your house is different. No register is required for a private home, and nobody inspects it for you. If you are worried about your own place, start with asbestos in the home.
What you may find in an older school building
The same products turn up as in houses of the same age. Think fibre cement wall and ceiling sheets, eaves, roofing, vinyl floor tiles and the backing under them. Older demountables and covered walkways are common examples.
None of this can be confirmed by looking. A sample analysed at a NATA-accredited laboratory is the only way to know, and a licensed professional takes it on a school site.
Who to ask if you have a concern
Ask the school, then the body that runs it. For a government school that is the state or territory education department. For an independent or Catholic school it is the school authority. Each should be able to say whether an asbestos register exists and how it is kept up to date.
You can ask to see the relevant part of it. You do not need to tell them what you think is in a ceiling. Just ask what is recorded and what is planned.
What carries over to your own home
Three habits are worth copying. Record where suspect material is. Leave it undisturbed while it is sound. Get it checked before any work starts.
That is also the answer if a family member works or volunteers at a school and asks you about it. Point them to the school's own register and their state regulator. Questions about health belong with a doctor, not a building guide. For houses, see where asbestos is found in homes.
Frequently asked questions
Do Australian schools contain asbestos?
Some older school buildings may contain asbestos materials, mostly bonded products such as fibre cement sheets. Whether a given building does is recorded in the school's own register.
Who manages asbestos in a school?
The person in control of the site, normally the school owner or the education authority that runs it. They have duties under state or territory WHS laws.
Can parents ask to see the asbestos register?
You can ask the school, and then its governing body. Ask what is recorded and what is planned. Your state or territory regulator can say what a school must make available.
Does a school's register tell me anything about my house?
No. Private homes are not covered by the same register rules. Use a sample analysed at a NATA-accredited laboratory to find out what is in your own home.
Sources
What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.
- Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. Asbestos Product Guide. What products contained asbestos and where they were used
- NSW Government. Asbestos in NSW. The NSW Government asbestos portal