SCHOOL students and staff have potentially been exposed to asbestos after it was inappropriately handled by builders.
WorkCover NSW has investigated 94 complaints about asbestos in public and private schools since 2007.
The authority reported asbestos being disturbed by construction, excavation or demolition work and then, in some cases, removed in breach of work safety laws.
Some of the complaints cited contractors operating without a licence for handling asbestos and others were about the lack of suitable protective equipment used.
The rise in the number of complaints coincided with the federal government's Building the Education Revolution, which generated more building activity in schools.
As a result of its investigations, WorkCover NSW has issued 22 notices for workplace safety breaches over a 3½ year period, raising questions about potential risks to students, teachers and staff, as well as workers.
Sixteen of the notices were served to the Department of Education and Training and the rest to a mix of Catholic, independent and private schools. These authorities have a duty of care to ensure work safety laws are met.
Ten notices to improve safe work practices have also been issued to contractors working within the school grounds.
A spokesman for the department said a rigorous system of asbestos removal and monitoring was in place to ensure no student or staff member's health was at risk.
''When the presence of asbestos is reported as being exposed, immediate action is taken to protect public health, including isolating the area and engaging a licensed contractor to remediate the site to WorkCover safety standards,'' he said.
The department spokesman said most of the WorkCover notices issued were from four sites. He said the notices covered a range of matters, including the keeping of records.
''All of the WorkCover notices were complied with,'' he said. ''Where instances warranted students and staff to be informed of asbestos-related matters, it would be expected that the principal would provide this advice.
''In the vast majority of cases, asbestos-containing materials are safe if these products are left undisturbed and are in sound condition.''
Adrian Piccoli, the opposition spokesman on education, said the system for handling asbestos in NSW schools was ad hoc and dysfunctional.
About 70 per cent of NSW public schools contain asbestos, which is recorded on the department's asbestos register. Private schools have no central asbestos register.
''To get that many notices issued with asbestos pretty high in the public consciousness and schools is unbelievable,'' Mr Piccoli said, ''There should be none.''
Mr Piccoli said parents expected higher standards when construction was done at a school. ''Parents and teachers have a right to know what is happening at their schools,'' he said.
The Greens MP, John Kaye, said the asbestos register operated by the department was failing.
''If it were working, then there would be far fewer interventions by WorkCover and almost no exposure of students, teachers and community members,'' Mr Kaye said.
A spokesman for WorkCover said the authority was unable to name the affected schools.