ASBESTOS DUST FOUND IN SCHOOL
Thousands potentially exposed to deadly material for up to 15 years as authority say ‘no cash’ to solve problem
EDUCATION authorities failed to act on the presence of deadly asbestos dust in a school for up to 15 years, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
During that time, thousands of school children, who attended the Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) run St Aidan’s Community College in Cork, and others who used the premises were unaware of the risk they may have faced.
If breathed in, asbestos fibres cause several serious diseases, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. These fatal conditions do not materialise until decades after exposure.
St Aidan’s Community College in the Dublin Hill area of Cork city was built in 1983 before asbestos was banned two years later.
The roof where the asbestos was discovered was replaced in the early 2000s, as part of a nationwide €70m Office of Public Works (OPW) programme to remove the hazardous material from schools.
However, this removal work appears to have created asbestos dust which remained in attic spaces and on ceiling tiles suspended above classrooms. St Aidan’s is the responsibility of the CETB which replaced the local Vocational Education Committee (VEC) in 2013.
According to internal files and recordings – provided to the MoS by a whistleblower – the CETB knew of the asbestos dust ‘problem’ but did not have the ‘budget’ to make the school completely safe.
But after the whistleblower, CETB building surveyor John Forde, made a protected disclosure to the Health and Safety Authority in February 2017, funding was provided for the asbestos dust removal and new ceilings were installed that summer.
However, there is no indication that any efforts were made by the CETB or the Department of Education to inform those who had potentially been exposed.
Mr Forde has alleged he made the disclosure after emails outlining his concerns about the asbestos to other CETB colleagues were deleted from the organisation’s servers.
Because of his actions, Mr Forde claims he was targeted and punished. This has resulted the loss of his salary and pension entitlements after a 35-year career.
Mr Forde first discovered the asbestos dust after he was tasked with surveying St Aidan’s Community College in 2016.
The nature of his discovery is detailed in recordings of subsequent meetings he had with CETB executives. On the tapes, Mr Forde told the executives he heard Romanian workmen – who were not wearing any masks – in an attic space referring to the amount of dust above ceiling tiles. ‘I said: “Where’s the dust?” So they went and showed me, and I went off into the attic and took some of the stuff down, and when I got it tested it was white asbestos.’
The recorded meeting took place in June 2017, several months after Mr Forde claims he was sidelined because he refused to keep quiet about the asbestos and disclosed it to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). At the time of the meeting, Mr Forde had been on stress-related sick leave for months and his pay had been stopped – a situation the meeting was set up to address.
In the recording, Mr Forde tells the CETB executives how his superiors failed to react when he told them about the asbestos dust.
‘They were aware that they had asbestos in the building, and they did nothing for a number of years, which I found very hard to take, and their response was they didn’t have the budget. When I went to the HSA they found the budget,’ he said.
In response, one CETB executive clarified the organisation’s position, saying: ‘Well realistically, it’s not that they didn’t do anything. It would have been flagged to the Department [of Education] that we had this problem,’ they said. Elsewhere in the recording, Mr Forde describes his disbelief that nothing was done about the asbestos.
‘I found a serious breach of protocol when people’s health was at risk. There are 500 kids in the school now and there were 900 two years ago and this [asbestos dust] is there 15 years and nobody had raised an issue with it and it is a serious issue.’
In response, an executive sought to reassure Mr Forde the CETB had no issue with him raising concerns about the asbestos. But Mr Forde shot back: ‘They had a major issue with me raising it. I handed it to them on a form saying the truth. There was asbestos in the building and they said: “Yeah we’re aware of that.”’
Mr Forde said that, when he asked his colleagues in the CETB when they would do something about the asbestos: ‘They both looked at it and said: “We don’t have a budget”.’
On the recording, Mr Forde contrasted the multi-million-euro cleanup of asbestos at the Haulbowline navy base in Cork to the lack of action at St Aidan’s.
He said: ‘I thought – what? Budget? Are you not aware that in Haulbowline they closed the f***ing naval base because there was a gasket found in a pipe? You’ve got this s*** going on all over the place in about 20 classrooms. It’s like watching Homer Simpson. So I don’t care. I’ve cleared my conscience. I went to the HSA.’
In response, one executive told Mr Forde they agreed with his actions in reporting the matter to the HSA.
‘To be quite honest… if you going to the HSA meant that we got the funding, happy days, as far as I’m concerned,’ they said.
An internal report prepared in 2018 also states the CETB and the Department of Education knew of the asbestos dust at St Aidan’s.
The report into workplace grievances formally reported by Mr Forde was compiled by a CETB official. It states: ‘With regards to the discovery of asbestos in the roof… the school and the ETB were not only aware of same but had made representations to the DES [Department
‘When I went to the HSA they found the budget’
of Education and Science] for funding to remediate the matter. This request had been denied.
CETB acknowledged that Mr Forde’s highlighting of the issue led to the DES agreeing to provide funding for its removal.
The report added Mr Forde was, ‘not directed to ignore issues by any member of CETB staff, but was requested to focus on and conclude the task he had been assigned.
‘CETB does not have any negative feeling towards Mr Forde and, in fact, is grateful for his input as this contributed to a positive outcome being achieved.’
In 2019, Mr Forde launched a legal case against the CETB in a bid to have his pension restored. Following mediation between both sides, a €50,000 settlement offer was made in 2022. However, Mr Forde refused the offer and in June this year he wrote to Department of Education Secretary General, Bernie McNally, asking if those who may have been at risk from the asbestos found at St Aidan’s had been informed.
He wrote: ‘Exposure to asbestos can have severe health implications, some of which may not manifest until many years later. This hazard is particularly acute for the young students who, during their time at the school, were in the early and vulnerable stages of their lives.’
He went on to state: ‘It is both an ethical and a legal obligation to inform those potentially affected by this incident. Neglecting this duty could be construed as a criminal act, potentially leading to allegations of reckless endangerment, particularly with regard to the safety of children.’
In response, Ms McNally confirmed that, following a HSA examination, the asbestos dust had been removed. The letter, dated August 28, said: ‘There was no indication that any students or staff had been
exposed to asbestos and the subsequent removal of the asbestos ensured the ongoing safety and welfare of the school population.
‘The Department appreciates your efforts and the concern shown in respect of this issue, but also wishes to assure you that the welfare of students and staff is always given the highest priority and, had there been any possibility of asbestos exposure to the school population, the appropriate action would have been taken in line with HSA recommendations.’
This week, the MoS asked the Department of Education and the CETB why funding had been denied for the removal of asbestos at St Aidan’s – until after the HSA had
been informed.
We also asked how many people could have been exposed, whether they would now be contacted and whether the same problem could have occurred in other schools. The CETB issued a statement saying it was ‘not in a position to comment’ since it cannot speak about legal matters.
However, the statement acknowledged that ‘during refurbishment works, asbestos was discovered in St Aidan’s Community College in ceiling voids which were not accessible to staff or students. This was subsequently removed in accordance with the relevant regulations on receipt of funding from the
Department of Education.’
In language similar to that used in response to Mr Forde in August, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said: ‘The asbestos remediation programme in respect of the schools sector was undertaken over 20 years ago and was managed by the Office of Public Works. The Department is aware of correspondence that was received in respect of asbestos removal at St Aidan’s Community College in Cork indicating the presence of some asbestos dust in the attic space of the school. There was no indication that any students or staff had been
exposed to asbestos and the subsequent removal of the asbestos ensured the ongoing safety and welfare of the school population.
‘The safety and welfare of students and staff is always a key priority for the Department and the approach
taken with the presence of asbestos dust in the attic space was in line with HSA recommendations.’
A HSA spokesperson declined to comment, saying it does not comment on individual investigations.