The discovery of asbestos in a recently constructed pathway at Orana Steiner School has caused alarm among parents.
The pathway was installed in the school holidays following Term 3, but midway through Term 4 two pieces of material were found near the path which were found to be bonded, non-friable asbestos.
Further testing from floors, a windowsill, a desk and a chair in two nearby buildings showed normal background levels of fibres.
In an update to parents and carers on December 1, acting principal Kelly Armstrong said WorkSafe ACT officials attended the school on November 30 and were satisfied with the steps taken to manage the situation.
"The area, including the playground will however remain closed for the remainder of 2022," she wrote.
"It will be reopened once all remedial works (including the installation of a new path) have been completed."
Ms Armstrong said WorkSafe ACT was "appropriately and directly investigating the issue with the supplier."
She advised parents to see a general practitioner if they were concerned about potential health risks to their children.
WorkSafe ACT did not respond to questions from The Canberra Times by deadline.
A school spokesperson said it was thought the asbestos came from the material supplied by an external contractor for the construction of the new path.
"The relevant external authorities were notified of this incident," the spokesperson said.
"The school promptly followed all incident reporting and response procedures."
The name of the contractor who installed the path has not been made public.
The two asbestos sheets were found near the path on the week of November 23 and were sent for testing.
Parents were first told about the asbestos discovery on November 25. The area was stabilised the following day by AGH Demolition and Asbestos Removal.
The 100-metre pathway was removed over the weekend of December 3 and 4.
A stockpile of soil, which also contains bonded, non-friable asbestos, remains on site and will be removed after the Environmental Protection Agency gives final clearance, the spokesperson said.
The school is waiting for a clearance certificate before the area is declared safe to use once again.
Asbestos has been completely banned in Australia since December 2003.
Orana Steiner School is located on the site of the former Association of Modern Education School in Weston, which operated from 1972 to 1996.
The school had 590 preschool to year 12 enrolments as of February this year.
Do you know more? Contact sarah.lansdown@canberratimes.com.au
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