Authorities and insurers 'must grapple crumbling concrete crisis to prevent new wave of asbestos-related claims'

Degraded condition of RAAC has highlighted continued presence of asbestos in schools and public buildings

Following this week's news that more than 100 schools across England and Wales are affected by RAAC, Lucy Dyson, Partner and Chris Gower, Associate, at international law firm RPC, have warned that authorities and insurers must also consider how the crisis could threaten new asbestos exposures:

"The degraded condition of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in more than 150 schools has also highlighted the continued presence of asbestos in such buildings.

"It is thought that at least 21,500 schools in the UK contain asbestos.  The last five decades have seen numerous personal injury claims, predominantly brought by workers who were exposed between the mid-1940s and 1999 during the installation or cutting of asbestos as part of works, when fibres were released and inhaled.  

"Many years later, we now face the next chapter where schools (and other buildings) are in need of repair/ replacement works, but this would necessitate the safe removal or encapsulation of asbestos at the same time. 

"The risks of exposing the general public by not doing so or such removal not being undertaken in a controlled way, are well-known.

"This is a legacy issue that government, local authorities, academy chains and their insurers will now have to grapple with to prevent a new wave of asbestos-related claims, alongside the urgent remediation of Raac-affected buildings."