ECE activity room

HS8 Room temperature

Criteria

Any ECE activity room is kept at a comfortable temperature no lower than 18°C (at 500mm above the floor) while children are attending.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the wellbeing of children.

Guidance

Temperature in ECE activity rooms used by children

The temperature in rooms must be no lower than 18°C at 500mm above the floor when used by children. Services should ensure that the heating is turned on (if required) before children attend for the day to give time for the rooms used by children to heat up to 18°C.

Temperatures are kept no lower than 18°C

To ensure the temperature in rooms used by children is kept no lower than 18°C, a service must have a means of checking the temperature regularly at 500mm above the floor. This might include a thermometer that can measure ambient room temperature attached to the wall at 500mm above the floor, or a portable thermometer.

Services will need to manage fluctuations of temperature in rooms used by children for example caused by the opening and closing of doors to the outside space, so that the temperature in rooms used by children is kept no lower than 18°C.

Rooms used by children at a comfortable temperature

18°C at 500mm above the floor is a minimum requirement. World Health Organisation guidelines, including those with vulnerable persons such as young children, have been considered in setting this minimum.

Services may choose to keep a higher indoor temperature but should ensure that is comfortable for children. Having a service temperature that is too warm could lead to lethargy.

Other licensing criteria that interact with HS8

PF2 Variety of equipment

C9 Range of experiences

HS9 Securing furniture

Criteria

Heavy furniture, fixtures, and equipment in any ECE activity room that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children.

Guidance

In all areas of the ECE activity room, large and heavy items of furniture, equipment and appliances must be secured to the structure of the building. Smaller appliances such as stereos or microwave ovens can be secured with industrial Velcro.

Lighter things such as books and blocks can also cause injury if they fall on children. These can be held on shelves by wire or a short chain connected to the shelf with a metal eye or hook.

Lockable castors should be used to prevent trolleys or shelving on wheels from moving around. Think about weight distribution on free standing shelves.

Things to consider

When securing these items, the following guidelines will be useful.

• Always fasten to the structure of the building. Studs are fine, but wallboards may be too weak.
• Make sure that the fastenings you use are strong enough to hold the weight of the heavy object. What will happen if it gets bounced up/down?
• Where possible, try to fasten objects near the top rather than at the bottom. This can’t be done, the fastenings at the bottom need to be very strong, because of the leverage effect when something topples (a fridge for example).

Connections that are easy to unclip and re-clip allow furniture to be moved when needed. Consider placing fastening points at several places around the walls.

A short chain on the furniture connected to a metal eye on the wall, by means of a carabiner, D-bolt, or similar, can be a good system. This means furniture can be changed around, while still having secure fastening for heavy objects.

HS10 Hazard and risk management

Criteria

Any ECE activity room and equipment used by children as part of the ECE programme are checked on every day of operation for hazards. 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)
• vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials
• the condition and placement of equipment; 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 at the service 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.

In a hospital, services use the ECE activity room, which is covered by this criterion, as well as the licensed premises which includes wards and other areas of the hospital. These areas are not the responsibility of the service.

Safety and suitability of surfaces, furniture, equipment and materials are also covered under Criterion PF3 Safe furniture and equipment which covers purchasing and installing playground equipment and surfacing.

PF3 Safe furniture and equipment

Hazards and risks must also be managed on any excursion outside the hospital. See HS6 for more guidance.

HS6 Excursions

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.

Health & Safety at Work Act 2015

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

Documentation

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

• Documented daily hazard checks – inside and out
• 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.

More information on risk management

WorkSafe information on risks in education

What risk looks like in early childhood education – WorkSafe

WorkSafe information on managing strangulation hazards on play equipment

Managing strangulation hazards on play equipment – WorkSafe

Things to consider

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

• identify hazards and risks
• assess the likelihood and impact of identified risks
• respond to hazard or risk – what will be done, when, by whom?
• 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?

HS11 Noise levels

Criteria

All practicable steps are taken to ensure that noise levels in any ECE activity room 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 activity room).

Guidance

Managing noise levels will benefit everyone at the service. 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.

Beware of environmental noise from outside the service such as road works or construction nearby and try to ensure that the negative effect is reduced where possible.