Young High School recently discovered asbestos which was deemed harmless to staff and students and was removed immediately.
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The material was found in several classrooms during the school’s annual maintenance review and although it was not harmful to anyone the Department of Education agreed to remove it from the buildings.
According to a Department of Education spokesman the material was found during the process of removing carpeting.
“The removal of flooring tiles during re-carpeting at Young High School followed stringent standards set out by SafeWork NSW,” the spokesman said.
“The safety of students and teachers is the highest priority for the Department of Education, particularly when capital works are undertaken.”
The spokesman said the processes used in managing school sites affected by asbestos were developed with stakeholders including NSW Health, Safe Work NSW and Public Works with supporting independent health hygienists.
"These processes comply with Work Health and Safety legislation,” he said.
The process of removing the contaminated material took a few weeks during which the high school redirected students to different classrooms so students learning wouldn’t be affected in any way.
The spokesman said the Department has a rigorous system of maintenance in monitoring asbestos at schools, including publishing a register for each school.
“The school was under no threat as the asbestos was not disturbed therefore it was not dangerous to anyone,” he said.
“The school took this as an opportunity to get the asbestos removed before it was a threat to anyone.”
The Department saw the removal of the material from the school site as upholding its promise to ensure the safety of students and will continue to update and monitor each register to ensure that not only Young High School but all schools in Young remain asbestos free.
