Just 33 government buildings have had asbestos 'managed'

Friday 28 June 2019

182 buildings owned by the Government still contain asbestos and all of them are in use by employees, caretakers, or the public - but fewer than one in five have had the carcinogenic substance removed or managed in the past five years.

The figures were released in response to a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Law by Express.

They showed that the Public of the Island currently owns a total of 740 sites. 118 of those sites include 182 buildings containing asbestos - a known carcinogen that can lead to incurable mesothelioma.

According to the response, all of those are still currently in use by people, “such as staff, caretakers, cleaners, etc". 46 of the buildings – including sports facilities, public toilets, Jersey Library and Fort Regent - are also accessible to the general public.

Only 33 of the buildings have seen some form of “asbestos removal, remediation or encapsulation” in the past five years.

Pictured: La Moye Prison is one of the public Government buildings containing asbestos.

Those sites include La Moye Prison, primary and secondary schools, the Fire and Rescue HQ, both markets as well as the hospital and Overdale.

The presence of asbestos at Fort Regent was revealed last summer when technicians found an asbestos-related fibre in an electrical cupboard containing an air handling unit.

It was immediately shut down and all gym changing rooms and toilets fed by the unit were closed, while other non-public rooms behind the weights area were shut off as a precaution. 

Storage areas on the north and west side of the building were also closed while contractors were asked to “proactively” remove asbestos in the weights area over fears that bubbling paint in the room could lead to the asbestos beneath it being exposed. 

Pictured: Parts of the Fort were closed after an asbestos-related fibre was found in an electrical cupboard.

Publicly accessible buildings containing the cancer-causing substance are usually labelled as a warning, but it later emerged in September last year that some sites containing asbestos in the hospital, schools and other government buildings, had not been labelled over fears of “upsetting” the public.

Questioned by Express at the time, a spokesperson then said that this was standard practice across all government buildings.

“…It should be labelled with suitable asbestos warning signs, except where it may cause undue alarm, such as in public places,” they said, adding: “When it is enclosed, encapsulated or bonded, asbestos carries no risk to the health of staff, patients or public, and to label it would risk causing unnecessary concern.”

The 33 government buildings that have seen some form of asbestos 'management' over the past five years constitutes just 18% - or around one in five - of the total number.

Pictured: There is asbestos in the General Hospital and the Overdale Hospital, as well as other health centres.

Government officials explained that Jersey Property Holdings (JPH) have management plans in place for all known asbestos within buildings under their direct control, while other buildings are directly maintained by the departments that uses them, such as the General Hospital and Overdale Site, Fire Service Headquarters, Philip Le Feuvre House and the prison.

The news comes as a compensation scheme for victims of Mesothelioma - an incurable form of cancer linked with asbestos exposure that can lead to severe chest pain, breathing difficulties and death – is due to come in force in October.

Pictured: The Social Security Minister said the scheme could come into force in October.

Deputy Judy Martin, the Minister for Social Security, backed the idea of such a scheme following a significant public campaign, an island-wide petition demanding a compensation scheme for victims of cancers linked with asbestos exposure and proposals brought forward by Deputy Carina Alves.

Funding for the scheme is expected to be included in the 2020 Government Plan, which is due to be debated this September.