Rationale: (why do we need this policy?)
Crossways Community Crèche is a place of work and learning where teachers and volunteers are employed, and children, families and others inhabit the environment daily. All have the right to be protected and safe from harm. We recognise that the safety of the centre as a whole is pivotal to the safety of all. We believe safety is upheld by ensuring there are mechanisms to assess risk and actively address hazards in ongoing ways. When identifying hazards we take a holistic understanding of wellbeing/hauora as encompassing the physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of health and safety.
TE WHĀRIKI STRAND 1 Wellbeing | Mana atua: The health and wellbeing of the child are protected and nurtured
Objectives: (what are the expected key outcomes from this policy?)
- Employers and employees work together to keep the work and learning environments safe.
- Parents, children, teachers, volunteers and others know the hazards and feel assured they are safe.
- Systematic identification and management of hazards is in place and maintained
- There are clear procedures for:
- * identifying and reducing hazards
- recording all injuries and illnesses that occur
- notifying parents and appropriate persons.
- It is clear whose responsibility it is for ensuring hazards are identified and managed.
- Keeping children safe from harm is a priority but we are also aware that risk taking is an important disposition in learning to learn.
Definitions:
A hazard is a situation or thing that has the potential to cause death, injury or illness to a person.
Risk is the likelihood injury or illness might occur when a person is exposed to a hazard.
Guidelines: (How will we achieve it?)
So far as is reasonably practicable, all steps must be taken to maintain the health and safety of all people who dwell or work within our environments.
Management has the primary duty of care to
- Know about current work health and safety matters
- Understand the hazards and risks associated with the workplace operations
- Make sure there are resources and processes for managing risks
- Ensure there are processes for receiving information on and responding to incidents, hazards and risks
- Ensure workplace health and safety processes and resources are being used.
Workers and other adults have a duty to:
- Take reasonable care for their own health and safety
- Take reasonable care that they do not adversely affect the health and safety of other people
- Comply with any reasonable instruction that is given to them relating to health or safety
- Implement or cooperate with any reasonable policy or procedure relating to health or safety at the workplace
Managing health and safety risks involves the following four steps:
- Identifying hazards
- Assessing risks
- Controlling risks
- Reviewing control measures
Hazards should be managed by taking action to eliminate them, minimizing or isolating them.
Communication of known hazards, risks and control measures
An identification and management register should extensively identify the hazards and the strategies we employ to manage them.
Signage should be used as appropriate to remind of control measure
Every adult should have an appropriate induction to the workplace, whether they are a worker or other person such as a visitor, parent, other volunteer, etc
Health and safety training should include:
- Risk identification and management
- Incident recording and reporting, including near hits and misses
- Safe work procedures
- Safe use and storage of hazardous substances
- Role-specific training for those with health and safety responsibilities in the workplace
- Emergency procedures, including evacuation procedures and use of emergency equipment
- Identifying the location of first aid kits, Civil Defence kits, phones, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency exits, emergency meeting points, etc.
- Safe use and storage of personal belongings eg out of reach of children
General
- The premises, furniture, furnishings, fittings, equipment and materials in the centre are kept in good order, safe and hygienic.
- Parents and appropriate authorities must be kept informed of accidents and illnesses where appropriate, and appropriate records are kept to meet licensing and other legislative requirements.
- Adequate numbers of trained first aiders must be available each day
- An emergency plan must be in place, which includes testing of emergency procedures.
- All elements of the health and safety system should be: monitored on an ongoing basis to identify areas for improvement and development, and reviewed regularly to ensure continuous improvement.
- Children cannot be considered responsible for their own safety. At all times their safety is the primary responsibility of the adults who care for themIn the outside play space, managing risk may be preferable to eliminating it, as we are also aware that risk taking is an important disposition in learning
References:
Education [Early Childhood Services] Regulations 2008: Regulation 46Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008: Criteria HS12Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, 30 Management of risksThe Department of Labour’s website, Safekids New Zealand, Playground safety standards NZNZS5828 Playground Equipment and Surfacing Standard.
Approved date: April 2021 Review date: April 2022