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CHCCN301B: Ensure the health and safety of children

Provide a safe environment

Contents

Overview 3

Implement sun protection procedures 4

Dehydration 4

Ensure tools, equipment, toys and games are appropriate to the age of the child 5

Select, check and maintain equipment to ensure safety 9

Nursery and baby equipment 9

Outside play equipment 10

Set up the environment to ensure safety 13

Check area for hazards and implement risk reduction strategies 14

Fire safety precautions 15

Fire and emergency evacuation policy 16

Ensure disposal of waste materials occurs in a safe and hygienic way 17

Disposal of waste materials 17

Exposure to biological hazards 18

Ensure cleaning materials are stored safely 19

Implement infection control procedures where required 20

Ensure adequate food and drinks are served appropriate to age and developmental status 21

Summary 22

Additional resources 23

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN301B: Reader LO 9181 © NSW DET 2010

Overview

This topic, ‘Provide a safe environment,’ will provide you with the knowledge to ensure that the environment that the children occupy is safe. Your role in assessing risks and hazards and assisting in minimising these will be explored.

You have many responsibilities as a carer to identify, assess and control risks and hazards presented in the child care environment.

A hazard is anything that could cause harm to yourself and others; a risk is the possibility that a hazard could cause harm, injury or ill health to yourself or others.

Your duty of care will see you taking steps to minimise hazards and risks in the environment and to actively and consistently work towards providing a safe environment for children and adults in the service.

Involving families in the risk identification process will be invaluable as they too are concerned with their children’s safety in the home and will often ‘see’ hazards that we might have missed.

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCCN301B: Reader LO 9181© NSW DET 2010

Implement sun protection procedures

Extensive advertising and public information has made most Australians aware of the hazards of the sun. Sun causes irreversible skin damage leading to prematurely aged skin, skin cancers and eye damage. For sun safety all children must:

• Wear wide brim hats when outside at all times.• Have shirtsleeves as long as possible (necks and shoulders and faces must

be in shade).• Apply sunscreen (factor 30+) before going outside, summer and winter.

Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours or if the child becomes wet, for example, during water play.

• Be inside during times of maximum sun, which is between 10am and 2pm (Eastern standard time) or 11 am and 3 pm (Daylight saving time).

Babies under twelve months should spend very little time in direct sunlight and you should check that the sunscreen you use for babies will not irritate their skin.

Sun-smart child with a hat with a brim and neck protection

Activity 1

DehydrationThe other danger for children playing outside, particularly in the hot Australian summer, is dehydration. On hot days children should be given water frequently. Throughout the day, water should be freely available regardless of the weather.


It is also appropriate to have water play on those hot days. Do be mindful, however, of local water restrictions and Council water usage recommendations here—especially in drought-declared areas!

Remember to reapply the sunscreen after children are dried off with towels as this can wipe away their protection.

Water play presents a danger to all ages—effective supervision is vital at all times to ensure children’s safety.

Ensure tools, equipment, toys and games are appropriate to the age of the child

Appropriate toys and gamesToys and games also need to be checked regularly and carefully. Like equipment and furnishing, if safe and appropriate toys are purchased for a service, the likelihood of hazards from these is substantially reduced. Try to ensure that the toys either conform to the European Safety Standard, CE, or the Australian Safety Standard, AS 1647. These toys will have met certain health and safety requirements and can be used with minimal danger.

The labels on toys will often give a suitable age range. The age suitability is not related to the intellect level but the safety aspects of that toy. Inappropriate toys such as those with tiny parts or ones that are easily broken should be removed from reach of small children. Toys should be sorted and stored according to age suitability.

Appropriate toys for the right age


Safe toysBelow are some key points to ask yourself in regard to toy safety. You probably have more to add.

• Can the toy choke the child? Children under three years of age tend to put things in their mouths. Choking is a common cause of toy-related deaths. Do not give small children (infants and toddlers) small toys, balls or toy parts that they can choke on. A good rule of thumb regarding toy size is that if the toy is small enough o fit into a film canister, then it is too small for a child under three years of age to use. Do not give small children latex balloons; when they burst, the small bits can completely block children’s airways. Rattles, squeeze toys and teethers should be large enough so that they cannot enter and become lodged in baby’s throat. Remember that a toy suitable for an older child may be unsafe for a younger child.

• Can the toy strangle the child? Toys with long or stretchy cords can wrap around a child’s neck. Check the ends of pull toys. Cords should not be longer then 12 inches. Keep mobiles out of the reach of children in cots. Remove mobiles completely before the child is five months old or can push up on hands and knees. Keep cords short or out of children’s reach.

• Is it noisy? Loud toys can damage a child’s sensitive hearing. If you find the toy loud, it is definitely too loud for a child.

• Can the toy cut the child: Sharp edges or points on a toy can cut a child. Make sure that you check toys regularly for signs of wear and tear.

• Can the plastic packaging suffocate the child? Plastic bags and plastic wrap, foam, tape or ties can suffocate or choke a child. Throw out plastic wrappings on toys as soon as possible as children might play with them.

• Can the toy tip or roll out of control? Tricycles and other ride-on toys can tip or roll. Children on ride-on toys can move very quickly, running into objects or falling down stairs. Make sure children on ride-on toys are well protected if they fall (eg, children riding bicycles need helmets and those on skateboards and scooters need a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads).

• Does the toy contain poisons? Play cosmetics and art supplies (eg, crayons, coloured pencils and play dough) may contain toxic chemicals. Read labels carefully to see if there’s a non-toxic label. Make your own playdough and paint, using non-toxic ingredients.

• Can the toy hit someone? Darts, arrows, planes and other such flying toys can be dangerous. They can hit someone in the eye. Don’t let children play with darts and arrows unless the toys have securely fastened soft cork tips or rubber suction cups—and the children are older than eight years and play is well supervised.


Safe and challenging toysToys should be challenging, fun and safe. There are a number of points to remember when thinking about children’s toys. Some toys, equipment or activities present greater risks and, therefore, special precautions or more effective supervision may be in order. Some toys are just not suitable for some childcare services. Remember that:

• Babies should not have large fluffy toys in their cots.• Swords and any plastic toys of similar shape may be used as a weapon

against other children.• Balloons are a choking hazard.• Batteries used in battery operated toys are both poisonous and a choking

hazard.• Riding toys are associated with a number of hazards such as collisions or

falling. Ensure that appropriate safety mechanisms and procedures are in place.

• Swings are falling, pinching and hitting hazards. As discussed earlier in the topic, some services will choose not to provide swings.

• Water play can be a drowning hazard and a hygiene hazard. Supervise water play at all times. Never leave any child unattended at water play. Use clean water and change as necessary.

Toys can also be challenging

Activity 2a

Activity 2b

Activity 2c

Activity 2d


Toys and play equipment to avoidSome toys to avoid in children’s services are:

• beanbags and other items filled with polystyrene beans (swallowing of, and inhalation of, the polystyrene beans has been associated with choking and suffocation)

• projectile toys such as darts (not suitable for children under 8 years)• toy chests, because children may get inside and close the lid (children love

to hide in small, enclosed spaces and may suffocate!)• trampolines, which have been associated with horrific injuries in young

children.


Select, check and maintain equipment to ensure safety

If both the inside and outside equipment and furnishing that is purchased meets Australian Safety standards then the likelihood of incidents and accidents arising is reduced. The NSW Department of Fair Trading has published guidelines on safe toys, equipment and furnishing on both a web site and as a pamphlet and it is recommended that you read this information (See Additional Resources for details). All equipment used by children in a service including cots, basinets, prams, strollers, high chairs, etc. must meet the appropriate Australian and New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS). When purchasing equipment, it must be labelled with the distinctive red and white AS/NZS tag and include manufacturer’s instructions for use, care and maintenance.

Nursery and baby equipmentAll equipment must be used as per manufacturer’s instructions. Storage, use and weight limits must be followed. There is some nursery and baby equipment that has been associated with injuries to children when not used correctly. These include:

• Bath supports—Babies have slipped from bath supports and drowned when left unsupervised in the home. Never leave any child unsupervised.

• Cot, bed, pram and chair restraints—Straps and ties present strangulation and suffocation hazards.

• High chairs—Both free standing and table mounted high chairs are associated with falling injuries, especially when the child is left unsupervised, unrestrained or allowed to behave unsafely in the chair.

• Nappy buckets have been associated with incidents of drowning or near drowning.

• Prams are associated with falling injuries and may tip backwards if of a poor design or the handles are hung with heavy items.

Remember that restraints and safety belts supplied on equipment such as high chairs and change mats are an extra safety measure and not to be used without a carer present.


Some equipment should not be used in a service due to the nature of the associated hazards. These are:

• Bouncinette—Injuries from falls when babies are left in bouncinettes on high places such as tables.

• Cot bumpers and pillows are associated with suffocation, and have been linked to SIDS.

• Baby walkers are cumbersome and easy to topple. They are not needed to support the development of a child’s locomotive skill (walking). They are considered unsafe for use in children’s services.

Outside play equipment

Outside play equipment must be fun but safe

Outside play equipment must be fun but safe. Most centres have fixed modular play units with safe climbing and sliding areas (which face south to minimise sun exposure). These units must meet with the Australian Safety Standards, AS1924. All play equipment and landing areas should be inspected daily for wear and tear, damage and cleanliness. The play equipment is to be used for the purposes it was designed and for the recommended age range. When jumping from, or sliding down, the equipment ground surfaces and landing sites need to be forgiving. A thick layer of bark chips, grass or spongy concrete will reduce grazes, bruises and even broken bones.

Ensure the soft fall chosen complies with relevant State and Territory safety standards – these can be found at http://www.kidsafe.com.au/

Activity 3


Good use of shade and trees and paths away from swings and slides

Sandpits

Shaded sand pit

Sandpits need to be maintained regularly and should be swept and raked daily. They require a cover when not in use to deter cats and other animals. Gravel below the sand will aid good drainage, sand should be replaced and the dirty sand should be removed and the sandpit disinfected by raking through with pool salt. The sandpit must have excellent sunshade as they are popular with children who are, when playing there, often stationary with their heads bent forward exposing their skin to the sun.

SwingsSwings should be well supervised and away from paths and busy play areas. Check that the swing does not inhibit traffic flow when swung in either direction. Swing mechanisms need to be checked regularly for wear and tear.

Swing seats should be made out of light weight, pliable material such as rubber, canvas or plastic. They need to be checked daily for spiders and other insects who


like to settle beneath the swing seat or in hidden corners. There has been a move away from swings in children’s services over recent years, due to the high risk of accidental injury regarding their use. Always supervise swing use diligently and check that the soft fall underneath is replenished as needed as it is often ‘kicked’ away by swinging children!

Cubbies

Check cubbies for spiders, nails and splintered wood

Cubbies also must be checked for insects and spider infestations and old splintered wood should be sanded or replaced

Ensure that the cubby construction meets appropriate safety standards and that children using the cubby can be easily viewed by the supervising carer.

The outside play area is always a popular and exciting component of the children’s program. The outside area needs to be appropriately equipped, set up and maintained.

For further information and ideas on playground safety visit the Kidsafe Australia website at: http://www.kidsafe.com.au/ .


http://www.kidsafe.com.au/

Set up the environment to ensure safety

It is not only the nature of the activity that can cause risks to children’s safety, but also the way the play environment is designed and maintained on a daily basis.

The following things should be considered when designing play areas:

• Set up indoor play areas in ways that discourage running and rough and tumble play, for instance create small rooms within the environment using shelving and dividers rather than having large open areas that just ask to be used for running games.

• Keep areas uncluttered to minimise collisions, falls and trips• Limit the number of children that can be in an area at one time, for

instance four chairs in the creative arts area gives children a clear message about the number of children that can use this area at one time

• Ensure you provide large spaces for large block construction• Outside – remember climbing equipment needs to be on soft fall and keep

adequate space around climbing equipment to minimise a child hitting something if they do fall.

• Provide an open space for running and active play on grass and away from high-traffic areas to minimise risk of collisions

• Allocate staff to areas of the play environment in a way that ensures visibility of all children. Odd shaped play areas can create supervision challenges – if there is insufficient staff to effectively supervise all areas then consider blocking off a specific area that may be hard to view until such time as staff ratios increase.

• Keep environments clean and hygienic. Waste bins should have lids that are firmly fitted and be stored away from areas where young children play.

• Cleaning products should never be used around children and ‘pour’ bottles rather than spray bottles should be used to minimise respiratory complaints and skin irritation through contact with cleaning products.

• Check outside play areas for hazards such as broken, bottles, insects, syringes before children use the area.


Check area for hazards and implement risk reduction strategies

Risk identification is the first step in managing safety in the workplace and is something that everyone – staff, families and children can be involved in.

Risks can be identified through:

• discussion• observation• review of incident reports and accidents• documenting near misses• completing risk and hazard checklists.

Safety checklists are useful tools to ensure hazard assessment is done in a consistent way and to help you identify strategies that will minimise or eliminate the risk. Each child care service will have their own procedures for identifying risks and hazards. The following checklist tool illustrates the types of hazards we would expect to find in outside play areas. It is a daily safety check that will determine of hazards have arisen overnight, over weekends or during a closure period.

Daily outdoor safety check sheetThis checklist is to assist in conducting and recording daily inspections of the outside play area where foreseeable risks may have arisen overnight or where safety may have been affected since the last check.

• Checklist to be conducted and signed off on a daily basis, tick if safe, cross if needing attention

• Centre to develop procedures to deal with maintenance matters• Completed checklist to be saved


Outdoor check listWeek beginning _____________________ M T W Th F Maintenance required

Urgent Non urgent

Outdoor area is free of hazards e.g. broken equipment, rubbish, trip hazards, water

Gates are locked/closed as applicable and latches are in working order

There is nothing near any fence or gate that would assist children to climb over

Sandpit is free of rubbish and animal faeces (raked as appropriate)

Softfall is free of rubbish (eg syringes, broken glass, sticks, rocks) and other objects that may be hazard if children fell

Outdoor rubbish bins are inaccessible to children

Ensure fire exits are kept unobstructed

Fire safety precautions When considering the safety of the physical environment special mention must be given to fire safety precautions. The environment needs to be safe from risk of fire. Fire-fighting equipment must be well maintained and functional.

Fire-fighting equipment must be well maintained and functional


Activity 4

Fire and emergency evacuation policyAll services must have an established, effective fire and emergency evacuation policy which is know and practiced by all staff. In every room, by the exit, there should be a plan of the fire escape route and the evacuation meeting point. Fire exits must be clearly marked as such and care taken that the exit sign is always clearly visible both day and night.

There are rules for using fire doors and fire exits. If any fire gates or doors are locked for security reasons then there must be a staff member with a key on their person at all times and a spare key available to use in the event of an emergency.

When any persons are in a building, all fire doors and exits must be:

• open• free swinging• never chocked open or locked shut.• well-lit signs posted at fire exits.


Ensure disposal of waste materials occurs in a safe and hygienic way

Disposal of waste materials Care must be taken in the storage and disposal of all waste in a service. When touching any waste, whether it is recycling or kitchen scraps, hands much be thoroughly washed and, where appropriate, gloves worn.

All bins must be sealed and stored well out of the reach of children. However, staff must have easy access to the bins when they are disposing of waste, as any carrying of waste to a bin will increase the risk of infection spread. All bins must be labelled appropriately, designating their purpose to prevent the accidental mixing of hazardous with non-hazardous waste.

Hazardous wasteAny biological hazards must be treated with extreme care. Biological hazards include:

• body fluids• needles and syringes• dressings and bandages• nappies and soiled linen.

All bins for contaminated waste purposes should be specifically marked with biohazard symbols, kept sealed and away from all clients.

Usually they are stored in locked or limited access rooms. The bags used to line such bins must be strong, leak-proof, and never overfilled. Gloves must be provided and used when dealing with such waste.

There are special requirements for the disposal of sharps.

They must be placed in designated special containers. These containers require particular care when using and storing. These must be in sealed, strong, leak-proof containers with hazard symbols apparent to all. Do not overfill these


containers or put hands inside the container when disposing of sharps. Special waste disposal companies will arrive at a service to remove these bins.

Exposure to biological hazardsIf you are exposed to a biological hazard:

• If it is a puncture wound, wash under running water. • If it is bleeding, allow free flow of blood.• If it is eye splash, rinse under flowing water.• Remove any contaminated clothing.• Inform the manager/director.• Complete an incident form.• Seek medical advice to arrange blood testing.

Most States and Territories have a 24 HOUR NEEDLE STICK INJURY HOTLINE

Activity 5


Ensure cleaning materials are stored safely

Children are more vulnerable to chemical exposure that adults are. This is because:

• Their immature skin is more absorbent and less of barrier than the skin of an adult

• Children are smaller and closer to the floor where chemicals settle, especially at the crawling stage and are constantly picking things up and mouthing objects that have been in contact with cleaning residue

• A babies organs and body systems are immature which makes them more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposure—organs that help the body to excrete toxins are still developing.

• Young children’s lungs work harder and faster than an adults which means their lungs are capable of absorbing more chemical pollutants.

For these reasons it is vital that:

• We don’t clean, spray room deodorisers or insect sprays while children are close by

• Cleaning materials used in the centre should be mild, plant based and pH neutral

• Cleaning products should be stored out of reach of children but be accessible to staff ( hazardous products should be stored in a lockable cupboard out of reach of children, at least 1.5 metres above the ground)

• Cleaning products should be stored in their original containers and be clearly labelled

• ‘Pour’ or ‘squeeze’ bottles should be used rather than ‘spray’ type dispensers to avoid misting of cleaning product.

• Cleaning products are returned to their safe storage space immediately after use.


Implement infection control procedures where required

Infection can spread rapidly in child care services where there are many children and adults sharing a confined space.

Infections are spread via methods such as:

• faecal-oral spread• droplet spread• contact spread• blood and bodily fluid spread.

While it is not possible to prevent the spread of all infections and illnesses within child care centres, a lot of illnesses from infectious disease can be prevented with the implementation of standard precautions. Standard precautions mean that we treat every child as if they are potentially infectious—in this way we are minimising the spread of infection.

The three most important ways of preventing the spread of infectious disease are:

• effective hand washing• exclusion of sick children and staff• immunisation.

If these are not done properly, the many other processes that support infection control, such as cleaning and food safety procedures, will not work well.

Activity 6

Activity 7


Ensure adequate food and drinks are served appropriate to age and developmental status

You will understand that being hungry or thirsty can impact hugely on our behaviour, concentration and overall enjoyment of a situation. This is equally so for children, so we must ensure that adequate food and drink is provided to children that meets their developmental, nutritional, medical and/or cultural needs so that they are able to learn , play and explore fully.

The following web site may be useful—you will find many factsheets on eating tips for the different age groups of children: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

Activity 8


http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/

Summary

• A hazard is anything that could cause harm to yourself and others, a risk is the possibility that a hazard could cause harm, injury or ill health to yourself or others.

• Sun safe habits learnt in childhood are likely to connect into adulthood.• Choose toys and equipment that conform to Australian Safety Standards

AS1647 to meet health and safety requirements• Play environments must be designed for safety and maintained on a daily

basis• Hazard identification is the first step in managing the safety of

environments.• Fire safety precautions including the regular practise of fire evacuation

drills must be in place.• Care must be taken in the storage and disposal of ways to prevent injury

and minimise infection control in the service.• Children are more vulnerable to chemical exposure – care must be taken

with the storage and use of chemicals in the service.• The provision of appropriate food and drink will ensure the good health of

children in the service.


Additional resources

Sun Safety

http://www.cancer.org.au/sunsmart

Toy Safety

Toy Safety Checklist: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/About_us/Publications/ft125.pdf

Playground safetyKidsafe - On this website you will find information about current news and events, fact sheets, resources and program information to help keep children safe:




http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/About_us/Publications/ft125.pdf

http://www.cancer.org.au/sunsmart

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