Health & Safety

Statement of Intent

Beehive Day Nursery believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance.  We make our nursery as safe and healthy as possible for children, parents, staff, students, volunteers and visitors.

 

Aim

We aim to make children, parents and staff aware of health and safety issues and to minimise the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment.

 

Methods

Mary Hickley, the nursery manager, has overall responsibility for health and safety.  She is competent to carry out these responsibilities.  She has undertaken health and safety training and regularly updates her knowledge and understanding.  The mandatory Health and Safety poster is displayed in the entrance hall.

 

Risk assessment

Our risk assessment process includes:

• Checking for hazards and risks indoors and outside, and in our activities and procedures.  Our assessment covers adults and children;
• Deciding which areas need attention; and
• Developing an action plan which specifies the action required, the timescale for action, the person responsible for the action and any resources required.
• We maintain lists of health and safety checks which are carried out daily by staff
• As new equipment is bought, additional risk assessments will be carried out

 

Insurance cover

We have public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance.  The certificate is displayed in the entrance hall.

 

Awareness-raising

• Our induction training for staff, students and volunteers includes a clear explanation of health and safety issues so that all adults are able to adhere to our policy and understand their shared responsibility for health and safety.  The induction training covers matters of employee well-being, including safe lifting and the storage of potentially dangerous substances.  COSSH guidelines are followed and all substances which are hazardous to health are stored appropriately and have a safety data sheet explaining what to do if an incident occurs with the substance, e.g. swallowing.  All staff are made aware of these sheets and consult them as necessary.
• Records are kept of these induction training sessions and staff and volunteers are asked to sign the records to confirm that they have taken part.
• As necessary, health and safety training is included in the annual training plans of staff and health and safety is discussed regularly at staff meetings
• We have a no smoking policy
• Children are made aware of health and safety issues through discussions, planned activities and routines

 

Children’s safety

• Only persons who have been subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service have unsupervised access to children, including helping them with toileting
• Adults do not normally supervise children on their own
• All children are supervised by adults at all times
• Whenever children are on the premises, at least two adults are present
• Management of a missing child is covered in our Lost Child policy

 

Security

• Systems are in place for the safe arrival and departure of children.  The times of the children’s arrivals and departures are recorded
• The arrival and departure times of adults – staff, students, volunteers and visitors are recorded
• Our systems prevent unauthorised access to our premises
• Our systems prevent children from leaving our premises unnoticed
• The personal possessions of staff and volunteers are securely stored during nursery sessions

 

Kitchen

• Children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen
• All surfaces are clean and non-porous
• There are separate facilities for hand washing and washing-up
• Cleaning materials and other dangerous materials are stored out of children’s reach
• When children take part in cooking activities they are supervised at all times, are kept away from hot surfaces and hot water and do not have unsupervised access to electrical equipment

 

Electrical equipment (there is no gas supply on the premises)

• All electrical equipment conforms to safety requirements and is checked regularly
• Our electric meter cupboard is not accessible to children
•  Heaters, wires and leads are properly guarded and the children are taught not to touch them
• There are sufficient sockets to prevent overloading
• The temperature of hot water is controlled to prevent scalds
• Lighting and ventilation are adequate in all areas including storage areas

 

Storage

• All resources and materials which children select are stored safely
• All equipment and resources are stored or stacked safely to prevent them accidentally falling or collapsing

 

Outdoor area

• Our outdoor area is securely fenced
• Our outdoor area is checked daily for safety and cleared of rubbish before it is used
• Adults and children are alerted to the danger of poisonous plants, herbicides and pesticides
• Where water can form a pool on equipment, it is emptied before children start playing outside
• Our outdoor sandpit is covered when not in use
• All outdoor activities are supervised at all times
  

 

Hygiene        

• We seek information from the Environmental Health Department and the local Health Authority to ensure that we keep up-to-date with the latest recommendations
• Our daily routines encourage the children to learn about personal hygiene
• We have a schedule for cleaning resources, equipment, dressing up clothes and furnishings
• The toilet area has a high standard of hygiene including hand washing and drying facilities and the disposal of nappies
• We implement good hygiene practices by:
  • Cleaning tables between activities when necessary
  • Checking toilets regularly
  • Wearing protective clothing such as aprons and disposable gloves as appropriate
  • Providing clean clothes for children when needed
  • Providing tissues and wipes
  • Providing paper towels

 

Activities

• Before purchase or loan, equipment and resources are checked to ensure that they are safe for the ages and stages of the children currently attending the nursery
• The layout of play equipment allows adults and children to move safely between activities
• All equipment is checked regularly for cleanliness and safety and any dangerous items are repaired or discarded
• All materials, including paint and glue are non-toxic
• Sand is clean and safe for children’s play
• Physical play is constantly supervised
• Children are taught to handle and store tools safely
• Sleeping children are checked regularly
• Children learn about health, safety and personal hygiene through the activities we provide and the routines we follow
• Children’s right to choose activities is accommodated as far as possible by putting safeguards in place.
  

 

Food and Drink

• Staff who prepare and handle food receive appropriate training and understand and comply with food safety and hygiene regulations
• All food and drink is stored appropriately
• When hot drinks need to be carried into children's rooms, they are placed in a deep bowl so that in the event of a spillage, hot drinks spill into the bowl.  We never place hot drinks within reach of children
• Snack and meal times are supervised appropriately  and children do not walk about with food or drinks
• Fresh drinking water is available to children at all times
• We operate systems to ensure that children do not have access to food/drinks to which they are allergic

 

Outings and visits

• We have agreed procedures for safe conduct on outings
• A risk assessment is carried out before an outing takes place
• Parents always sign consent forms before major outings
• Children are well supervised on outings.  The ratio of adults to children is always maintained and usually exceeded.
• The children are appropriately supervised to ensure no child gets lost and that there is no unauthorised access to children
• Records are kept of the vehicles used to transport children, with named drivers and appropriate insurance cover
• For those children remaining at nursery, the adult/child ratio conforms with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework

 

Animals

• Animals visiting the nursery are free from disease, safe to be with children and do not pose a health risk
• Our nursery pets are free from disease, safe to be with children and do not pose a health risk.  They are checked regularly by a vet to ensure they are healthy.

 

Fire safety

• Fire doors are clearly marked, never obstructed and easily opened from inside
• Smoke detectors/alarms and fire fighting appliances conform to BSEN standards, are fitted in appropriate high risk areas of the building and are checked as specified by the manufacturer
• Our emergency evacuation procedures are approved by the Fire Safety Officer and are clearly displayed in the premises, explained to new members of staff, students and volunteers and practiced regularly, at least once every six weeks
• When using candles on birthday cakes, we ensure children are sitting down and are at a safe distance from the candles.  An adult closely supervises the child blowing out the candles.

 

First Aid and Medication

All members of staff are first aid trained and update their training every three years.  The first aid training includes appropriate training for dealing with infants and young children.

Our first aid kits:

• Comply with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981
• Is regularly checked by a designated member of staff and re-stocked as necessary
• Is easily accessible to adults
• Is kept out of the reach of children

At the time of admission to the nursery, parents’ written permission for emergency medical advice or treatment for their child/ren is sought.  Parents sign and date their written approval

• Children’s prescribed drugs are stored in their original containers, are clearly labelled and  are inaccessible to the children
• Parents give prior written permission for the administration of medication.  The administration is recorded accurately and parent sign the record book to acknowledge the administration of the medicine.  The member of staff administering the medicine and a staff witness both initial the record.
• If the administration of prescribed medication requires medical knowledge, individual training is provided for the relevant member(s) of staff by a health professional

 

Illness

Ofsted is notified of any infectious diseases which a qualified medical person considers notifiable

 

Safety of adults

• Adults are provided with guidance about the safe storage, movement, lifting and erection of large pieces of equipment
• When adults need to reach up to store equipment or to change light bulbs they are provided with safe equipment to do so
• All warning signs are clear and in appropriate languages
• Staff do not remain in the building on their own or leave on their own after dark
• Illness of staff and their involvement in accidents is recorded.  The records are reviewed regularly to identify any issues which need to be addressed

 

Records

In accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage we keep records of:

• Adults authorised to collect children from nursery
• The names, addresses and contact numbers of emergency contacts in case of children’s illness or accident
• The allergies, dietary requirements and illnesses of individual children
• The times of attendance of children, staff, students, volunteers and visitors

 

Accident Records

• Accident records are kept safely and securely
• All staff, students and volunteers know where they are kept and how to complete them
• Records are  reviewed regularly to identify any potential or actual hazard

 

Ofsted and the local office of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are notified of any injury requiring treatment by a GP or hospital, or the death of a child or adult.

 

We meet our legal requirements for the safety of our employees by complying with RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injury, Disease or Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).  We report any dangerous occurrence (i.e. an event which does not cause an accident but could have done) to the local office of the HSE.

 

In addition, the following policies and documents in relation to health and safety are in place:

• Risk assessment
• Records of visitors
• Fire safety records and certificates
• Operational procedures  for outings
• Administration of medication
• Prior parental consent to administer medicines
• Record of the administration of medicines
• Prior parental consent for emergency treatment
• Accident recording
• Sick children
• No smoking

 

This policy is reviewed annually

This policy was adopted by the management and staff of Beehive Day Nursery on

07.01.11

Latest review:  September 2018