Asbestos claims made by teachers

When considering which professions are most likely to make asbestos claims for illnesses like asbestosis and mesothelioma, it is usually plumbers, builders, mechanics and dock workers that come to mind. This is because people in these careers regularly handled asbestos during the 60s and 70s and their contact with dangerous asbestos fibres is most obvious. Read more about occupations exposed to asbestos.

However, there are many people who are believed to have come into contact with asbestos unknowingly and only now are they beginning to realise the danger that they were put in. The first asbestos claims are being made by people who were, and may continue to be, inadvertently exposed to asbestos.

Asbestos in schools
People that have been schoolteachers for their entire working life are beginning to be affected by asbestos-related diseases. For example, 147 people involved in education died from mesothelioma between 1990 and 1999. Some of these teachers went on to make asbestos claims against their local education authority because they believe the exposure occurred in their workplace.

The Journal, a paper local to where the latest asbestos claims have been made, states that around 90% of schools in the north of England contain asbestos. Up to 1975, asbestos was a popular building material in schools, used for a range of purposes like pipe lagging, wall panels and ceiling tiles. Read more about where asbestos is found.

Many of the recent asbestos claims refer to incidents where asbestos fibres may have been accidentally released when teachers pinned children's work to walls riddled with the dangerous material.

Although there is a program of asbestos replacement that is being undertaken in schools across England, it is unlikely that every school will be free of asbestos in the near future. This means that exposure to asbestos for teachers is not a thing of the past and is likely to continue to be a problem in years to come.

It is for this reason that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a guidance entitled "Asbestos: an important message for schools" in which it urges schools to prevent teachers from damaging any walls or ceilings that may contain asbestos. It mentions that the risk posed by pinning or tacking objects to asbestos panels is low but still present.

It goes on to remind schools that higher risk ways in which asbestos fibres may be disturbed include building work, both major and minor, and vandalism by children.

The most effective way of preventing exposure to asbestos and future asbestos claims is that of awareness. Schools are supposed to keep asbestos maps that show the locations where asbestos is present and these should be consulted whenever any change to the building, however trivial, is going to occur.

How to make an asbestos claim
If you are a teacher who has contracted an asbestos-related disease or you developed one through any other career, we can help you to get personal injury compensation. We offer a straightforward, cost-free approach to making an asbestos claim so whatever your situation, you can get the compensation to which you are entitled.

Our personal injury solicitors have specialist knowledge of asbestos claims and have helped thousands of people to get compensation after contracting an industrial disease. Their expertise allows them to provide the very best representation and their skill can be seen in their remarkable success rate.

We guarantee all of our customers that they do not have to pay a penny when claiming personal injury compensation through YouClaim. This is because our solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis and ensure that you are protected from all other costs and fees, no matter what the outcome of your asbestos claim.

If you would like more information about our no-cost service or would like free legal advice about making an asbestos claim, please telephone 0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form now.

If you would like more information about our no-cost service or would like free legal advice about making an asbestos claim why not contact us via e-chat or leave us a call back request? To make an asbestos claim today, please telephone 0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form now.