School asbestos linked to another death

School asbestos linked to another death

Another death has been linked to occupational exposure to asbestos in a school. Victor Kirk, 66, a divorced retired caretaker from Paignton, died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma on 6 April. An inquest into the death was opened and adjourned in Torquay last month. At the hearing, coroners' officer Ric Parsons said Mr Kirk had been diagnosed as suffering from mesothelioma. He said: 'He had spent much of his working life as a caretaker, working at various schools. It is believed that during the course of his employment he had been exposed to asbestos' (Risks 251). Mr Kirk died just three days after schools were issued new official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines for dealing with classroom asbestos. The HSE action was prompted by concerns raised by teaching union NUT, which revealed over 100 teachers have died from contact with the substance in the past 20 years. HSE's own figures show 147 education workers died from mesothelioma in the decade between 1991 and 2000, 73 of them primary and secondary school teachers.

• Western Morning News.
• NUT news alert. HSE updated guidance, Asbestos - An important message for schools [pdf]. HSE duty to manage asbestos webpage. Hazards asbestos news and resources.