Rationale: (why do we need this policy?)
Injuries and incidents may occur at an early childhood centre. Crossways Community Crèche has a responsibility to:
- respond without delay to all incidents of harm or near misses
- take all practicable steps to give appropriate care
- notify a parent or immediate family, and
- if deemed serious to investigate, take appropriate action and notify specified agencies as outlined in early childhood regulations.
Objectives: (what are the expected key outcomes from this policy?)
- Proper medical assistance will be given by qualified people
- Incidents of harm will be thoroughly and responsibly documented and investigated to provide ongoing safety in the work and play environments
- Prompt notification will be given to parents/guardians and, as required, specified agencies
Guidelines:
Responding to injury, illness and incidents
The Injury and incident procedure flowchart (see appendix 1) sets out the decisions and actions to be taken in the event of injury or incident and will guide our response to a notifiable event.
When there is a medical emergency, staff with a current First Aid certificate will assess if it is minor, moderate or serious and respond accordingly.
In the case of an accident, where immediate medical aid is required, it will be sought without delay and the appropriate parent/guardian or designated emergency contacted as soon as possible.
Responding to a minor medical emergency (Minimal first aid treatment required)
- Administer first aid and provide care and comfort to the child
- Implement the child’s current medical management plan, where appropriate
- Monitor child regularly to ensure minor injury does not become more serious after a period of time
- Report incident to head teacher, record in accident register, ensure parents are informed at pick up and sign & are given a copy of the record
- If a hazard contributed to the accident/injury, it must be managed as soon as possible
Responding to a significant medical emergency (First aid required, recommend seeking non-urgent medical advice)
- Administer first aid and provide care and comfort to the child prior to the parents/guardians arriving
- Implement the child’s current medical management plan, where appropriate
- Consult the head teacher or person responsible, who will notify parents/guardians as soon as is practicable of the medical emergency, incident or injury concerning the child, and request the parents/guardians make arrangements for the child to be collected from the centre and recommend seeking non-urgent medical advice
- Notify other person/s as authorised on the child’s enrolment form, if the parents/guardians are not contactable
- Monitor closely until parent/guardian arrives
- Report incident to head teacher, record in accident register, ensure parents are informed at pick up and sign & are given a copy of the record
- If a hazard contributed to the accident/injury, it must be managed as soon as possible.
Responding to a serious medical emergency (Immediate medical attention required)
Call an ambulance when there is:
- Chest pain or tightness, difficulty breathing, choking, sudden weakness or difficulty talking, fainting or unconsciousness, severe pain, severe bleeding or bleeding that won’t stop (Source: St John’s ambulance service).
Administer first aid and provide care and comfort to the child prior to the parents/guardians or ambulance arriving
Implement the child’s current medical management plan, where appropriate
Consult the head teacher or person responsible, who will notify parents/guardians as soon as is practicable of the medical emergency, incident or injury concerning the child, and request the parents/guardians make arrangements for the child to be collected from the centre and/or inform the parents/guardians that an ambulance has been called
Notify other person/s as authorised on the child’s enrolment form, if the parents/guardians are not contactable
Accompany the child in the ambulance when the parents/guardians are not present, provided that staff-to-child ratios can be maintained at the service
Head teacher to complete incident report, and notify WorkSafe New Zealand and MOE of the serious medical emergency, incident or injury as soon as is practicable (see flowchart)
If a hazard contributed to the accident/injury, it must be managed as soon as possible.
Costs associated with seeking medical attention will be the responsibility of the parents.
For all head injuries or severe bruising, parents will be contacted and consulted as soon as possible after dealing with the injury.
Notification and Documentation
All injuries must be recorded and brought to the attention of the child’s parent/guardian at pick up time.
The head teacher or person responsible must notify parents/guardians as soon as is practicable of any serious medical emergency, incident or injury concerning the child.
An accident register must be kept within the centre and must be filled out when an accident occurs. This should include the name, date and time of incident, a description of what happened (and how, if able), and notification of whether a parent/caregiver or designated emergency contact was notified, name of the teacher making the record and if medical aid was sought.
The accident register is a duplicate copy book, one copy is given to the parent/ caregiver, and one copy is kept in the book. The record must be signed by parents when they collect their child.
Staff should make a note on the sign in sheet for the parent to see a teacher, as a prompt to ensure the parent is informed at pick up.
Where the accident or incident results is defined as ‘serious harm’ in terms of the Health & Safety in Employment Act, then WorkSafe and the Ministry of Education will be advised via phone or email as soon as practicable.
A notifiable event is any of the following events that arise from work:
- a death
- a notifiable illness or injury or
- a notifiable incident.
The notifiable incident, illness, injury or death must arise out of the conduct of the business or undertaking. It could be due to the condition of the work site, the way the work activity is organised, or the way equipment or substances are used.
All injuries or illnesses that require treatment other than first aid and which require a person to be admitted to hospital for immediate treatment are notifiable.
A notifiable incident is where someone’s health or safety is seriously endangered or threatened. A notifiable incident covers the incidents which may have only resulted in minor (non-notifiable) injuries but had the potential to cause serious injury, illness or death.
worksafe.govt.nz
Adult injury
The staff liaison officer is responsible for ensuring staff and volunteers supply the centre with an emergency contact person. This information is stored on their personnel file. This person is to be called immediately if emergency medical attention has been sought for the staff member.
All accidents had by adults are to be reported to the head teacher (or a person responsible in their absence). All accidents are to be recorded in the accident register. If moderate to serious, an Accident / Incident / Near Miss Report & Investigation Form should also be filled out.
The report is to be passed on to both the staff liaison officer and health and safety officer for review.
The staff liaison officer will consult on leave arrangements, support required and time off for related appointments (if required).
The health and safety officer will liaise with the head teacher on the investigation of any hazards that may have contributed to the incident.
Review
The head teacher is responsible for analysing all child Accident/Injury, Illness Records at the end of each month to identify any patterns of hazards, which need recording on the Hazard Register.
The staff liaison and health and safety officer are responsible for ensuring accidents or incidents involving adults are documented and investigated.
Non-notifiable injury/ incident records must be kept for two years from the date of the incident.
For any injury/incident that is notifiable under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), it is a requirement to keep the records for five years from the date of the incident.
References Education [Early Childhood Services] Regulations 2008: Regulation 46 Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008: Criteria HS27, HS34 Health And Safety At Work Act 2015 What Needs To Be Notified In The Education Sector, Information For The Education Sector | December 2016
Approved date: September 2022 Review date: August 2024