Indoor Environment Checks

Daily checks in an early years setting

Indoor environment: daily checks

Comments/ Action Fire escapes are clear.
All chemicals are out of reach (e.g. medicines and cleaning materials).
All toys and equipment are clean and in good working order.
Specialized safety equipment is in place (e.g. safety stair gates or fireguards in a home setting).
Radiator heat is controlled and radiator guards are in place (if necessary). Ventilation is available Refrigerator temperature is within the approved range.
Toilets are clean.
Windows and doors are secure.
Outdoor environment: daily checks.
Play equipment, outdoor toys or games are in good repair Outdoor play surfaces, exterior fencing and exterior gates are in good repair and secure No dog faeces, broken glass or other potentially dangerous debris in the outdoor play area.
No poisonous plants in the garden or outdoor area.
No damage to exterior security or access systems.

Learning aim: Understand how to prevent accidents and incidents and carry out risk assessments. Explain common hazards and how adults could prevent accidents to babies and children in early years setting to include:

Selecting appropriate resources.
Adequate supervision of children.

Analyze the role of adults in early year’s settings in preventing accidents to babies and children, with examples. The role of the adult in preventing accidents Parents need to know that their children will be safe in your care, so you have an important responsibility to prevent accidents to babies and children in the setting. Some of the ways you can do this are:

Providing adequate supervision of children at all times.
Role modelling safe practice and behaviour.
Checking for hazards, both indoors and outdoors.
Following reporting and recording procedures.
Conducting regular risk assessments.
Understanding children’s development, capabilities, and individual needs.
Carrying out routine observations of children.
Communicating with parents and carers.
Selecting appropriate resources for children’s age and stage of development.
Using appropriate safety equipment when necessary.

Common injuries to children

Accidents can result in a wide range of injuries to children of different ages, for example:

Burns and scalds from boiling water, hot drinks or unguarded fires
Cuts from knives, broken glass or other sharp implements
Poisoning from medicines, cleaning substances or plants in the outdoor area
Falls from play equipment, which can result in broken bones, sprains or head injuries.

You have a responsibility to prevent injuries to children by being vigilant, following safety procedures and ensuring that equipment is in a good state of repair.

Research: research the Health and Safety Executive website at www.hse.gov.uk and examine the information about risk management. Investigate the procedures in your placement or work setting for recognizing and reporting hazards.

Make a list of the daily checks that are made to ensure children’s safety in the setting, both indoors and outdoors. Reflect on the importance of early years staff carrying out these daily checks and write a report for parents which explain how these checks help to prevent accidents to babies and children in the setting.

Supervision of children

Children should be supervised in the setting at all times. They must never leave the setting unsupervised and should only be released into the care of individuals who have been notified to the provider by the parents.

In addition, the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage also prescribes the number of staff that must be available to supervise children in the setting at all times.

Selecting appropriate resources

Children are curious and love to investigate. This can lead to all kinds of situations that could result in accidents occurring. As an early year’s practitioner, you need to have a thorough understanding of child development and children’s capabilities. You need to be able to select equipment, toys and play materials that are suitable for children’s age and stage of development.

Safety equipment

A wide range of safety equipment and other resources are available to help practitioners to keep children safe indoors, outdoors and on outings away from the setting. The choice of safety equipment used will depend on a variety of factors, including the age and stage of development of the children, the type of setting and the nature of the potential risks involved.

For example, safety gates, and fireguards make the home environment safer for toddlers, while playground surfaces, secure fencing, and CCTV cameras help to maintain a safer environment for children in group care.

All equipment used with babies and children, such as toys and play materials, electrical items and outdoor equipment, needs to meet the relevant health and safety standards. These items should display a product-safety logo, such as the CE mark, to show that they meet European health and safety standards.

Selecting appropriate resources for children

Age range
Development and capabilities
Examples of resources

Babies (0–1 year) Very dependent on adults: Can easily choke on small objects Choose toys and play materials with no loose or small parts.

Toddlers (1–2 years): Love to climb and explore. Much more mobile but have little sense of danger. Use stair gates, fireguards, and window and cupboard locks.

Pre-school children (2–4 years): Enjoy being independent. More coordinated but lack self-control. Choose resources that encourage independence safely, e.g. safety scissors and knives.

School-aged children (4–7 years): Enjoy investigating and testing their abilities. More mature but still require supervision. Provide challenging activities within safe limits, e.g. stabilizer wheels on bicycles and safety helmets.

School-age children need challenging activities within safe limits

Learning aim: Understand how to prevent accidents and incidents and carry out risk assessments. Explain how to undertake risk assessments in early years Evaluate the extent to which risk assessment contributes to effective early years practice in a selected early year setting.

The process of conducting risk assessments

Most things in life carry some element of risk. Young children need to learn how to take risks safely and this requires a realistic approach and a certain amount of common sense. If children are constantly ‘wrapped up in cotton wool’, they are denied the opportunity to practice risk-taking. A health and safety risk assessment is the process of identifying risk and considering measures to reduce the risk to a safe level.

Assessment criteria: Learning aim: Understand how to prevent accidents and incidents and carry out risk assessments. Explain how to undertake risk assessments in the early years setting. Evaluate the extent to which risk assessment contributes to effective early years practice in a selected early years setting.

Research: Carry out an audit of the equipment and resources for preventing the spread of infection in your placement or work setting. Make a list of everything that you find. Research Download the document ‘Risk Assessment of Children’s Play Areas’ from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (www. rospa.com). Investigate the process of conducting risk assessments in your placement or work setting. Examine the forms used for recording risk assessments. Write a report that evaluates how the risk assessment process contributes to effective early years practice when supervising a group of children playing outside.

Review:

Check regularly. Update as necessary.

Identify hazards: Make regular checks in the setting. Obtain guidance from agencies like Ofsted and the HSE.
Identify who is at risk: Who might be harmed? How might individuals be affected?
Evaluate the risk and take measures to reduce it: Can the hazard be removed? If not, how can the risk be controlled?
Record findings and implement action: Write down results and create an action plan.

The risk assessment process:

Recording risk assessments: The practitioners in early year’s settings should carry out risk assessments on a regular basis. These should include checks on the premises, equipment and planned activities, as well as outings away from the setting.
Each risk assessment should assess the potential hazards; identify who is at risk and the level of risk involved, the action to be taken and a date for review.
This should be recorded on a risk assessment form. The form used will vary according to the type of setting, but will always include some main sections.

Your assessment criteria / Learning aim: Understand how to prevent accidents and incidents and carry out risk assessments. Describe policies and procedures which must be followed when taking children on outings from an early years setting. Practitioners must follow safety procedures when taking children on visits outside the setting.

National Health and safety practice in early years settings.

Area/activity Hazards Risks (to children, staff and parent helpers).
Level of risk (H/M/L*) Evaluation/action plan.

Children planting bulbs outside in the nursery garden:

Children will be using gardening tools and digging in the soil.
Children will be exposed to the weather, insects, potentially dangerous objects (broken glass, poisonous plants, dog faeces).
Children’s security is more vulnerable outdoors.

Injury (L)
Infection (L)
Sunburn (M)
Bee/wasp stings or insect bites (H)
Wandering off the premises (H)

Check the garden and outdoor area for any hazards and remove if necessary. Check the security of fencing and locks on gates and make secure. Encourage the children to practice using gardening tools beforehand (e.g. in their play).
Ensure that the children wash their hands thoroughly after the activity.
Check the weather: apply sunscreen and supply sunhats or supply rainwear, as necessary.
Check staff’s and children’s health records for any bee or wasp allergies. Take necessary precautions
Ensure there are enough staff members present to supervise the children at all times.

*Level of risk: H = high, M = medium, L = low

Safety on outings

There are different risks involved when taking children out of the setting. For example, the outing may involve travelling on public transport, a different environment or children being involved in different activities. Practitioners must follow the policies and procedures for safety on outings and take all the necessary precautions to prevent accidents and incidents from occurring.

A full risk assessment must be completed, including:

The required adult to child ratios for supervision (this will usually require more adults than the normal ratios)
The hazards that may be present and the precautions that staff will take
The weather conditions and how staff will accommodate these
Any specific, individual needs of the children (such as allergies and special dietary requirements)
The times of departure and return to the setting
A register of all the children attending.

The process of conducting risk assessments

Your assessment criteria: Learning aim: Understand how to prevent accidents and incidents and carry out risk assessments. Explain how to undertake risk assessments in the early years setting. Evaluate the extent to which risk assessment contributes to effective early years practice in a selected early years setting.

Research: Carry out an audit of the equipment and resources for preventing the spread of infection in your placement or work setting. Make a list of everything that you find.
Research: Download the document ‘Risk Assessment of Children’s Play Areas’ from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (www. rospa.com). Investigate the process of conducting risk assessments in your placement or work setting. Examine the forms used for recording risk assessments. Write a report that evaluates how the risk assessment process contributes to effective early years practice when supervising a group of children playing outside.

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