Falling plaster fear for safety of pupils at a Hamilton primary

Jun 4 2009 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

A PARENT of a Hamilton primary school pupil has expressed concern this week that falling plasterwork and dust in the girls’ toilet could cause health problems or injury.

The woman, whose daughter attends St Peter’s Primary School, was also unhappy about the response she received from the Education Department of South Lanarkshire Council when she raised the matter with them.

Repair work was carried out on a boiler in the toilet some months ago and a mess was left behind.

The parent of the primary two pupil, who did not wish to be named, told the Advertiser that the official she spoke to seemed “quite unconcerned” that plasterwork repairs had still to be carried out.

According to the mum, he added: ‘The school is being pulled down anyway.’

However, she pointed out that the school was not being demolished to make way for a new school until 2012, three years away, and called for immediate action to repair the plaster.

“Plaster has been hacked off the walls and is hanging down from the ceiling where black dust and debris is falling onto the girls.

“The plaster that is still in place is also very loose and could potentially fall down in large sections onto the pupils’ heads, possibly causing a nasty injury.

“A number of children in the school have dust allergies or suffer from asthma.

“If these children breathed in any falling dust, it could cause coughing, choking - or more seriously - a potentially life-threatening full-blown asthma attack,” added the worried mother.

The parent added that she was calling on the education authorities to take action to restore the toilets to a proper standard.

However, a South Lanarkshire Council education spokesman said this week:

“The toilets concerned are within health and safety guidelines and there is no risk with regards to asbestos.”