Hazards and outings

HS11 Hazard management

Criteria

Equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children. Accident/incident records are analysed to identify hazards and appropriate action is taken. Hazards to the safety of children are eliminated, isolated or minimised.

Consideration of hazards must include but is not limited to:

• cleaning agents, medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials
• electrical sockets and appliances (particularly heaters)
• hazards present in kitchen or laundry facilities
• vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials (for example broken glass, animal droppings)
• the condition and placement of learning, play and other equipment
• windows and other areas of glass
• poisonous plants; and
• bodies of water.

Documentation required

A documented risk management system.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children by ensuring that services have a mechanism to assess and address environmental hazards in an ongoing way.

Amended May 2016.

Guidance

A key aspect of promoting the health and safety of everyone in the home-based setting is hazard and risk management.

A hazard is a situation or thing that has the potential to cause death, injury or illness to a person.

Risk is the likelihood that death, injury or illness might occur when a person is exposed to a hazard. Risks must be managed by taking action to eliminate them, and if that is not reasonably practicable, minimising or isolating them. Eliminating a hazard will also eliminate any risks associated with that hazard.

It is important that the service provider and educator assesses and understands the hazards and risks and hazards that are relevant to the environment of each home. To start this assessment there is a sample list of potential hazards.

Water temperature is one of the most common hazards educators will need to manage in the home setting. An educator should never let a child come in contact with water until it has been checked by hand.

Any potentially harmful substances or materials must be made inaccessible. This will include cleaning products and medicines, but may also include face, body and/or hair products used by other members of the family.

Hazards and risks must also be managed on any excursion outside the home. See HS14 (below) for more guidance.

In order to meet this criterion services can use a daily check sheet. Any hazards found should be documented and eliminated, isolated or minimised.

Supervision

Supervision is an essential component of hazard and risk management in a service. Supervision must be active and focussed.

The type of supervision required depends on the layout of the premises, activities being undertaken, equipment being used, the ratio of adults to children, and the number, ages and needs of children.

Direct, close and constant supervision by teachers, educators and kaiako will be required if an activity includes an element of risk. For example, climbing, cooking, using ropes, cords or tools of any kind, or activities near water.

Ensuring children do not have unsupervised access to hazardous equipment such as ropes, cords and tools is a key aspect of supervision. Access to any hazardous equipment must be closely monitored.

Teachers, educators and kaiako should guide children on how to use equipment appropriately and safely.

Knowing children’s interests and abilities will assist teachers, educators and kaiako to anticipate children’s play. Anticipating what children might do next will help teachers, educators and kaiako support children if challenges or difficulties arise and intervene if there is potential danger. To ensure risk is minimised or eliminated, teachers, educators and kaiako should guide children’s behaviour and approach to play when necessary.

If an activity poses a risk, teachers, educators and kaiako will use their professional judgement to ensure that the right kind of supervision can be provided. If close supervision cannot be provided for an activity which requires it, then teachers, educators and kaiako should encourage children to modify their activity or defer it until the appropriate level of supervision can be provided.

Teachers, educators and kaiako should have regular conversations about how play is supervised in their own setting.

There is a supervision criterion which all home-based services must meet. Refer to HS34 for requirements and guidance.

HS34 Supervision

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Services must comply with the standards set in the licensing criteria as well as the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) and its regulations. Additional guidance about the HSWA is available for early learning services.

Documentation guidance

Your hazard and risk management system are likely to be made up of 2 main processes:

1. Documented daily hazard checks – inside and out.
2. Regular risk review – your risk register should be updated whenever new information comes available and reviewed on an annual basis.

Keep the hazard and risk checklists for the current year and the preceding year.

Below are some additional sources of information for support around risk management:

• Tips for parents and caregivers on child safety (including hot water safety).

  Safekids Aotearoa – Starship

• Information about safety around plants in ECE services and which plants to avoid.

  Poisonous plants – Manaaki Whenua | Landcare Research

• Information on keeping children safe in the sun.

  SunSmart

Things to consider

Consider a sequential approach to hazard and risk management. For example:

1. Identify hazards and risks.
2. Assess the likelihood and impact of identified risks.
3. Respond to hazard or risk – what will be done, when, by whom?
4. Monitor and review hazard and risk management system and practices.

Issues to consider in developing a hazard and risk identification and management system to ensure hazards are assessed and addressed in an ongoing way are:

• How hazards and risks will be identified?
• How processes for updating the identification of hazards and risks on a regular basis will be updated?
• If a hazard is identified, how it will be eliminated, isolated or minimised? When will it be done? Who is responsible for this?
• What opportunity is there for educators, teachers and kaiako to contribute to hazard and risk management systems, processes and practice?
• How will visitors to the service be informed about identified hazards?
• How is the maintenance of premises and equipment documented, managed and budgeted for?
• How are maintenance issues communicated to the person responsible or governance committee for any repairs or replacement?
• How are the service’s hazard and risk management checklists reviewed and used to inform the service’s management and practice, for example supervision, maintenance, repairs?

HS12 Noise levels

Criteria

All practicable steps are taken to ensure that noise levels do not unduly interfere with normal speech and/or communication or cause any child attending distress or harm.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the health and wellbeing of children by ensuring that steps are taken, when necessary, to manage high noise levels in day-to-day operation (as in the case of ongoing construction next to the service).

Guidance

Managing noise levels will benefit everyone in the home. Establish expectations with children about what is an acceptable level of noise inside.

You can create quieter spaces for children simply by using low partitions that children can snuggle up against, especially with a few cushions around, and carpet or rugs to sit on.

Beware of environmental noise from outside the home such as road works or construction nearby and try to ensure that negative effects are reduced where possible. If possible, the educator should attempt to ascertain the length of time the noise might occur and if appropriate make contingency plans:

• When might it be appropriate to temporarily relocate the children to another educator’s home?
• How would parents/whānau be consulted or advised?

HS13 Animals

Criteria

Safe and hygienic handling practices are implemented with regard to any animals. All animals on the premises are able to be restrained.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to ensure that animals kept by the service do not pose a health risk to children.

Guidance

Children and adults who handle animals need to practice sound handwashing procedures afterwards.

Pets kept in home-based settings need their habitats to be cleaned and maintained as required depending on the needs of the animal, and children supervised when interacting with them.

If there are pets in the home, the outdoor area of the home-based setting will need to be regularly checked for animal droppings and these removed.

Educators will need to ensure that animals including those brought to the home can be properly restrained at all times. This could include some guidance on:

• where dogs brought at pick-up and drop-off should be tied, for example, not immediately at the gate where children are passing
• what happens if a sight impaired family member of a child attending the service has a guide dog
• having a separate fenced off exercise area where dogs can be removed to if necessary.

Things to consider

Where the home is located at a rural property with farm animals, the educator will need to be aware of any animals in the vicinity of the home and ensure children are supervised when interacting with them.

HS14 Excursions

Criteria

Whenever children leave the premises on an excursion:

• assessment and management of risk is undertaken
• a supervision plan specific to the excursion is developed and implemented
• parents have given prior written approval of their child's participation
  • for regular excursions at the time of enrolment and
  • for special excursions prior to the excursion taking place and
• there are communication systems in place so that people know where the children are, and the educator can communicate with others as necessary.

Documentation required

A record of excursions that includes:

• the names of adults and children involved
• the time and date of the excursion
• the location and method of travel
• the excursion supervision plan
• assessment and management of risk
• evidence of parental permission for regular excursions at the time of enrolment and
• evidence of parental permission for special outings or excursions.

Rationale/intent

The criterion is underpinned by an understanding that excursions outside of the home are a vital aspect of the home-based service curriculum. There are inherent risks involved for any outing or excursion which need to be managed to uphold the safety and wellbeing of children.

Amended November 2016.

Guidance

The responsibility for the assessment of risk for any excursion lies with the service, and parents should give written approval to the excursion and the proposed ratios.

Risk assessment

Regular excursions

For regular excursions, the risk assessment can be a new plan or an update of a previous assessment, so any new risks are identified. The potential risks are more likely to be known to, and easily managed by, the service provider as part of their routine involvement and presence in the community.

Special excursion

A special excursion requires a specific risk assessment and development of a management plan prior to the excursion because the environment and circumstances in which these occur will be different each time.

Supervision on excursions

Extra diligence is required by educators to ensure children are closely supervised during excursions. Advance planning of the destination, transport, meals and toilet breaks will help to identify potential hazards and to determine the level of supervision required. Children can be closely monitored by regular head counts throughout the excursion and by ensuring the educator remains in close proximity to the children.

If the excursion involves activities in or near water, additional supervisory precautions will be required. This means educators should have constant visual contact and be in close proximity to children at all times. If educators need to move away from the area they should take all children away from the water.

Documentation guidance

Written approval for regular excursions may be obtained via a signature on the enrolment form, provided the information also informs parents of the planned adult:child ratio.

Permission for special excursions needs to be sought for each excursion.

Supervision plan

Supervision plan should include:

• Whether the educator will need to get parent help or the help of another adult
• What the appropriate ratios are (for example is the excursion going to be near water?)
• A contact person who can respond and assist easily if any unforeseen incident occurs? (for example, available to ring ambulance, talk with police and so on)
• How transitions will be managed to/from the destination including from vehicles/transport and any parking area.
• How frequently head counts/roll checks will be made during the excursion.

The plan should also include any additional supervision that may be required to address risks identified in the risk assessment process.

To assist you in planning and documenting your excursions, some sample documents are provided below. These can be altered to suit your service’s needs.

Things to consider

Things to take

The following are useful things to take on an excursion:

• A list of all children plus their emergency contact details in case of any accident of emergency. Use this to take periodic roll checks when on a combined outing with other educators and children.
• First aid kit. Consider carrying some bags in case of travel sickness, and some portable instant icepacks.
• Personal medication for any of the children – inhalers, EpiPens and so on. Also take any personal medication that is needed for any accompanying adults and the educator.
• Cellphone – with number for the destination or venue and a contact number for the coordinator.
• Sun protection. Rain wear if needed.
• Books or other items to entertain children if there are any delays.
• Drinking water for all children and adults.
• Spare clothing.

Transport considerations

When using private vehicles consider how the following will be checked:

• All drivers must have a current full New Zealand driver’s licence.
• Each vehicle must be registered and have a current warrant of fitness.
• All private vehicles must have the appropriate safety restraints for adults and children in accordance with the NZ Transport Agency regulations.

Child restraints factsheet – NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi

How will the educator manage getting equipment (such as buggies) and children safely in and out of the car?

HS15 Travel by motor vehicle

Criteria

If children travel in a motor vehicle while in the care of the service:

• each child is restrained as required by Land Transport legislation and
• the written permission of the parent of the child is obtained before the travel begins.

Documentation required

Evidence of parental permission for any travel by motor vehicle.

In most cases, this requirement will be met by the excursion records required for criterion HS14 (above).

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children while travelling in motor vehicles. Linking the restraint of children to licensing requirements allows Ministry of Education to put a regulatory intervention in place for non-compliance, as opposed to fines given by Police. Parental permission would most likely be gained from parents upon enrolment, as children in home-based services are in vehicles much more regularly than children in centre-based services.

Guidance

If there are not sufficient child restraints or cars/vans available for any excursion, then other transport options will need to be considered.

Ensuring children are properly restrained according to traffic law while travelling in a car is a bare minimum requirement.

Taxis and shuttles have different legislated requirements for child restraints. Children travelling in taxis should be restrained as if they were in a private car or van.

If the service provides regular transport (outside of enrolled and licensed hours), accountability is agreed in writing between parents and the service.

ECE services should employ “best practices” and have procedures in place that focus on health and safety, such as:

• Who the adults will be – including any qualifications (teaching, first aid), if they have been police vetted/safety checked.
• Appropriate adult:child ratios.
• Supervision arrangements.
• Alternative arrangements if parents are not at home when children are to be dropped off.
• Sign-in procedures.
• Parental permission upon enrolment.

Find out more information about transporting children to and from ECE services and kōhanga reo.

Transport for early learning services

Things to consider

Other things you might like to consider when arranging travel in motor vehicles include:

• Do all the vehicles have current registration and warrants of fitness?
• Are you certain that all drivers have a current full New Zealand driver’s licence?
• All private vehicles must have the appropriate safety restraints for adults and children in accordance with the NZ Transport Agency regulations.
• What would the educator do if the parent’s car seat is not compliant?

More information is available from the NZ Transport Agency website.

Keeping children safe – NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi