Education CEO Susan Bowden on kinetic sand recall and cleaning with NT schools over concerns of asbestos contamination

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, the Northern Territory Government is reassuring Territory ands that
all Northern Territory Government schools remain open with no school
closures required following the national recall of several children's colored
sand products. Now joining us on the show with Susan Barden,
who's the CEO of the Department of Education.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Good morning, Susan, Good morning Katie, and a pleasure to
be here with you.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, lovely to have you on the show. Now, where
is the testing at with the schools? Is it all
sort of done now? Yes?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
So we've done some quite extensive work over the last
few days, and I do want to thank and acknowledge
the work of our principles and our schools who've been
working very quickly to address this issue, as well as
our department staff. And we have been working very closely
with nt Work Safe as well as the Chief Health
Officer on this because our absolute number one priority is
that our children and our staff are safe. So what

(00:50):
occurred is once we were aware of the recall by
the A Triple C. We're really fortunate that one of
the providers actually gave us a list of sixty schools
where they had sold the product. To directly. So our
first port of call was to contact those schools to
make sure that the sand was secure or whether it
had been actually used, and then obviously briefing the principles

(01:12):
and then getting them to do a double check as well.
Over the weekend, we had ten schools that we identified
in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural area where we did
some air sampling because we wanted to be reassured that
there was no airborne asbestos. Those test results all came
back clear. So now we're very much focused on the cleaning.

(01:32):
And the cleaning is quite a laborious process because we
have to get special asbestos cleaners in. They have to
wipe down everything. They have very special high suction vacuum cleaners.
Classrooms are corded off while that cleaning occurs, and then
they have to have an asbestos ascessor come in after
to check that the cleaning is done appropriately and all clear.
So we're healing quite assured that the classrooms are safe

(01:55):
once that cleaning's occurred.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yeah, So Sousan, is this say, like, is it a
product bitch you use by the littleies? You know, it's
like a sensory sort of tool or why would they
have it in the classrooms.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
So it's got a range of uses, Katie. So it
is a sensory play object, so children do like the
touch and feel of the kinetic sand and the color sand.
It's also used with art and craft. So it's used
mostly in our early years classrooms, so in our preschools,
in our transition classrooms, but also in some of our
high support needs classrooms and even sometimes counselors use it

(02:27):
as a bit of a play therapy tool as well.
So right, it has a range of purposes that it's
used for.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
So how are we in a situation in the Northern
Territory where the schools I know there were three three
schools or three early learning centers I think that had
to have cleaning done yesterday or had to sort of
close yesterday. But how are we in a situation in
the Northern Territory where all the schools haven't had to
be closed down like they did in the act.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
So we did have three early learning centers who were
closed yesterday, that was for precautionary cleaning. All of the
NT government schools have remained open. We receive advice from
Anti work Safe as well as the asbestos contractors who
do the air testing, etc. So they assure us that
it is safe. But across the board, the advice from

(03:11):
our chief health officer as well as what we're hearing
nationally from the A Triple C is it's very very
low risk. It's at risk only if it's absolutely pulverized
into a dust and you breathe it in. So if
little ones eat it, they're okay yeh, which some do, yeah, right,
But it is more around if it's a very fine
grain dust, and because the product is actually a sand,
it's low risk that that would happen unless it's mechanically pulverized.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, okay. And so for parents out there listening this
morning who might be feeling a little bit concerned from
the sound of it, the schools have gone through quite
an extensive process now or they will be, to make
sure everything's claimed and that there is no trace of
it whatsoever.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, that's correct. And I think it's different because I'm
responsible for a workplace, so as a workplace, I have
to make sure that it's safe and secure for our
staff and our students. But for families at home if
they've got this particular product in their cupboard, go to
anti work safe and just follow the advice for anti
works back work safe, but it does need to be
disposed of carefully and in particular location.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yeah, I guess so for parents that maybe have their
kids at school, they can be assured that absolutely that
cleaning process has happened.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Yes, I think those classrooms will be the cleanest they've
ever been.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, they probably will be. Goodness knows what the kids
put in there. Otherwise. I know that there were a
number of schools that implemented alternative learning arrangements as you
touched on those early learning centers. But are they all
sort of theay back to normal today?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, So the cleaning is just about completing the kind
of schools that were quite impacted. So that was humpty
do in Giroween schools. So they've got classes back online today,
Bradshaw and Alice Springs classes back online today. So we
are working through those classrooms that have been isolated methodically.
It will take a little bit of time to do that,
but we are focusing on the schools and are most

(05:02):
impacted first. So the other schools that have got alternative
programs include Nightcliff Driver Primary School as well as Woodroffe
Primary School, so they'll be the next schools that we'll
particularly focus on.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Okay, now, in terms of the Department sort of coordinating
within t work, safe health authorities, as bestos contractors to
make sure all of those products are recalled safely and removed,
Like how do you do it so that you can
make sure it doesn't happen again.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Our advice to schools at the moment is actually to
remove all of the sand products. So as you'd be aware,
we had one tranch of recalls on the Friday and
then another tranch on Sunday, so there were different products.
So being unsure of what else will be found in
some of these colored sand products, our suggestion to schools
is just to remove all of them at this point

(05:50):
in time.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah, I agree. I think better to be safe, isn't it. Well,
Susan really appreciate you coming into the studio this morning
and having a chat with us and really talking us
through the Apartment of Education's response. And I guess from
this point on, you know, if there is any any
further sand located or anything like that being used in
the schools, I'm assuming that the Department of Education is

(06:11):
probably saying everybody just stay away from it at this point.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, that's correct. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
Well, CEO of the Education Department, Susan Bowden, really appreciate
your joining us today. Thanks so much for your time.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Thank you, Katie, thank you.