Asbestos concern for NSW schools.

Under a $2.5 million NSW government contract a waiter, painter and retail sales manager who had no expertise in identifying asbestos was given the job of conducting asbestos audits in hundreds of New South Wales schools.

The NSW Ombudsman has released a report questioning the accuracy and reliability of the school’s asbestos registry. The Ombudsman has said that the NSW Department of Finance and Services chose a cheap tender to perform the audits in 2,335 New South Wales schools four years ago because they were more concerned with saving money then protecting people’s safety. As a result of the Department’s motivation to save money, all the audits had to be redone.

Deputy Ombudsman Chris Wheeler in his report confirmed that it is still uncertain how accurately the asbestos registers in NSW schools reveal the location of all asbestos containing materials. In addition to this uncertainty Wheeler raised the concern that perhaps all asbestos in these schools has yet to be identified.

The NSW asbestos audits are important so as to identify asbestos in NSW schools which can protect persons suffering asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma.

Asbestos audits being conducted by unqualified persons may lead to many people being exposed to asbestos including students, staff, contractors that worked on the project and those that work at these schools in the future. This is a serious health concern as exposure to asbestos can cause a number of diseases including asbestosis and mesothelioma. The NSW Education Department will continue to work with Workcover to ensure the safety of the public in order to eliminate any chance of them contracting asbestos-related diseases including the cancer mesothelioma.

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