Health and Safety Policy s3

Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014

Health and safety policy

Statement of intent Denton Island Nursery believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance. To ensure this we make our nursery a safe, secure and healthy environment for children, parents, adults, staff and volunteers.

Providers need to ensure that, as well as conducting a formal risk assessment, they constantly reappraise both the environments and activities to which the children are exposed and make necessary adjustments to secure their safety at all times.

Aim We aim to make children, parents and staff aware of health and safety issues and to minimise the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment taking account of and supporting the need for children to learn to manage their own risk taking.

Methods The named member of staff responsible for health and safety is Michelle Reid; she is due to undertake health and safety training and is currently supported by Sarah Cockram who is trained in health and safety. Michelle has received general risk assessment training. Michelle regularly updates her knowledge and understanding and seeks advice when necessary. We display the necessary health and safety poster in the entrance hall. In addition NCDA has a Health and Safety forum which meets every three months to discuss any Health and Safety issues, problem solve and plan for changes or training requirements as appropriate.

Risk assessment Along with conducting formal risk assessments all adults have a constant awareness of the risks within the indoor and outdoor environment and with activities and will make adjustments to secure the children’s safety at all times taking account of the children’s needs and age and stage of development.

Our risk assessment process includes:  Checking for hazards and risks indoors and outside, and in our activities and procedures. Our assessment covers adults and children;  Deciding which areas need attention; and  Developing an action plan, which specifies the action, required, the timescales for action, the person responsible for the action and any funding required.

Risk assessments are reviewed wherever there is a change in the environment or in our procedures. In addition risk assessments are reviewed yearly if they are considered to cover high hazards or medium hazards where there are frequent changes in the environment/procedures. Risk assessments where there is a medium rating for overall Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 hazards are reviewed every 18 months to 2 years while low rating risk assessments are reviewed every three years.

We maintain lists of health and safety issues which are checked:  daily before the session begins;  weekly; and  quarterly; and  Annually - when a full risk assessment is carried out.

Insurance Cover We have public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance. The certificate is displayed on the notice board.

Awareness raising Our induction process for staff, volunteers, students and young people includes a clear explanation of health and safety issues so that all adults are able to adhere to our policy and understand their shared responsibility for health and safety. The induction process covers matters of employee well-being, including safe lifting and the storage of potentially dangerous substances, and an explanation of food hygiene matters.

For more information on our induction process please see our staffing and employment policy.

Records are kept of these induction training sessions and new staff and volunteers are asked to sign the records to confirm that they have taken part.

Health and safety issues are explained to the parents of new children so that they understand the part they play in the daily life of the nursery.

As necessary, health and safety training is included in the annual training plans of staff and health and safety is discussed regularly at staff meetings.

We have a no smoking policy. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the premises indoors or outside.

Children are made aware of health and safety issues through discussions, planned activities and routines.

Children's safety Only persons who have been checked for criminal records by an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau and are registered with Ofsted as child carers have unsupervised access to the children, including helping them with toileting.

Adults do not normally supervise children on their own. All children are supervised by adults at all times. Whenever children are on the premises at least two adults are present.

Adults are aware that children need to be kept safe. Adults do this without stopping the child taking reasonable risks as adults understand that children need to learn to protect themselves from harm and learn to assess their own risk taking.

For more information please see our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014

Security Access to the nursery is via a security door with a key-pad security lock and only staff have access to this code. A senior member of the nursery staff is always on the door at the beginning and at the end of the main sessions to supervise who is entering and leaving the nursery. Parent/carers can access the nursery between the main start and finish times by using the nursery door bell. Our systems prevent unauthorized access to our premises and help to prevent children from leaving our premises unnoticed.

We have a password system which we use when parents authorise someone else to collect their child.

We use a password system to ensure sensitive issues are only shared with key people.

We are able to implement a password system regarding phone calls taken from parents, which will ensure recognition of their identity when passing on information about their child’s collection. This is set up and is shared with staff on a need to know basis

Please see our collection of children from nursery and the non-collection of children from Nursery for further details.

The times of the children, staff, volunteers and students arriving and departing are recorded.

The personal possessions of staff and volunteers are securely stored during nursery sessions.

All staff, volunteers and students are aware that under no circumstances should mobile phones be taken into the nursery via in their bags or on their person and must be stored in their individual lockers. Please see our mobile phones policy

Windows Low level windows are made from materials which prevent accidental breakage or are made safe. Windows are protected from accidental breakage or vandalism from people outside the building.

Windows above the ground floor are secured so that children cannot climb through them. Window guards are used when window are open to prevent fingers being caught.

Windows opening onto the decking of the nursery or baby room outdoor space are to be kept closed when the children access the garden or decking. Outdoor equipment on which children climb must not be placed below or directly adjacent to the windows that open onto the nursery garden.

Doors All doors in the nursery have finger guards on them to prevent children’s fingers being trapped. We use doors stops to prop open doors.

Floors All surfaces are checked daily to ensure they are clean and not uneven or damaged. The carpets are steam cleaned annually or more regularly if required. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014

Electrical/gas equipment All electrical/gas equipment conforms to safety requirements and is checked regularly. Our boiler/electrical switchgear/meter cupboard is not accessible to the children and nor is this area used for storage of other items. The key to the cupboard is kept in the nursery staff room in a small container and the cupboard has a notice on it saying where it is so only staff can access it.

Electric sockets, wires and leads are properly guarded and the children are taught not to touch them. There are sufficient sockets to prevent overloading. Equipment is PACT tested annually.

The temperature of hot water is controlled to prevent scalds. Lighting and ventilation is adequate in all areas including storage areas.

Storage Resources and materials the children can self select are stored safely and at the appropriate height for children to access. Equipment and resources are stored or stacked safely to prevent them accidentally falling or collapsing. Larger/heavier items/toys are stored on low level shelving to prevent them from falling on to children and to lower the risk of manual handling injuries being sustained by staff.

Outdoor area The Nursery has access to two outdoor areas; the main nursery garden and the baby room outdoor area. Both outdoor areas are securely fenced the main room nursery garden fence has been raised for safeguarding purposes. The outdoor area’s are checked for safety and cleared of rubbish before they are used as part of our daily checklist.

All plants grown in the garden are safe for children. Children are supervised at all times when outdoors. Where water can form a pool on equipment, it is emptied before children start playing outside.

The baby room outdoor area and part of the main nursery garden decked area are surfaced with a safety surface that minimizes the risk of injuries occurring from slips, trips or falls from height.

The bike track in the main nursery garden also has a safety surface that minimizes the risk of injuries occurring from slips, trips or falls from height. Staff are shown how to place climbing equipment on the safety surface to maximize safety.

The outdoor sand and digging pits are covered when not in use. In addition to an informal daily check of outdoor equipment during the setting up of the out door areas we carry out quarterly safety checks on our outdoor equipment and resources. The outdoor areas are subject to an annual risk assessment and in addition the nursery access’s RoSPA’s service to perform an assessment of all fixed permanent pieces of equipment and of the garden environment periodically. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 The nursery garden is a community garden and as such can be accessed by crèche and parent/carer groups, during the day, evenings and weekends. The nursery are made aware of when different groups will be using the garden in advance. The nursery will not use the garden at the same time as parent/carer groups, but may access the garden or decking area during the times crèche groups access the garden. Please see our Visitors Policy for more details.

Hygiene We regularly seek information from the Environmental Health Department and the Health Authority to ensure that we keep up-to-date with the latest recommendations. Our daily routines encourage the children to learn about personal hygiene.

We have a daily cleaning routine for the nursery, which includes play room(s), rest area, toilets and nappy changing areas. We have a rota for cleaning resources and equipment, dressing up clothes and furnishings regularly, as well as a deep clean rota.

The toilet area has a high standard of hygiene including hand washing and drying facilities. The nappy changing areas have plentiful supplies of gloves and aprons. There are bins provided for the safe disposal of nappies.

Children aged 1 and under are able to have their utensils, bottles, dummies, teethers sterilized in the baby room.

We implement good hygiene practices by: - cleaning tables between activities; - using different coloured cleaning cloths for different areas of the Nursery i.e. toilet, floors, tables, food preparation areas; - checking toilets regularly; - wearing protective clothing - such as aprons and disposable gloves - as appropriate; - providing sets of clean clothes; - providing tissues and wipes; - providing individual hand towels or paper towels and disposing hygienically; - encouraging children to put their hands over their mouths when coughing; - washing raw fruit or vegetables before eating; - using colour coded chopping boards for different food stuffs - keeping utensils, crockery and pots clean and undamaged, ready for use; and - Ensuring everyone washes their hands after using the toilet and before and after mealtimes and snacks.

If a child has an accident which results in bleeding or vomit, the following procedure will be followed: Wear disposable vinyl gloves Wash the wound with water Apply a suitable dressing Wrap bloodstained tissues or waste paper in a nappy bag then place into yellow plastic bag in the nappy bin; this is disposed of separately to other waste Wash blood splashes off the skin with hot soapy water or out of eyes with water Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 Clean affected area by blood, vomit, urine or faeces with diluted Milton (1:10) Waste cleaning materials will be put in yellow bags and disposed of separately to other waste Clothes, soft toys or soft furnishings stained by body fluids will be washed by hand using hot water and detergent, or in the hot wash cycle in a washing machine

The Nursery will follow the above hygiene procedure when dealing with accidents resulting in bleeding or vomiting or in cases of diarrhoea and changing nappies. Please see our Accidents and Emergency Procedures.

Special note re HIV/AIDS No one has the right to know if another person is HIV or has AIDS. All staff are responsible for ensuring their own safety in this regard, and are fully aware of preventative measures such as wearing gloves and aprons.

If the Nursery manager is told about a child or adult HIV status, this information would only be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis with other members of the management team with the permission of the person concerned.

OTHER PARENTS DO NOT NEED TO BE TOLD

Any failure by an employee to keep this information confidential may result in immediate dismissal and will always result in disciplinary proceedings.

Activities All activities running in the nursery environment will take account of children’s health needs – dietary and physical exercise, their developmental level and their unique ability to manage their own risk taking.

Before purchase or loan, equipment and resources are checked to ensure that they are safe for the ages and stages of the children currently attending the nursery. All equipment is regularly checked for cleanliness and safety and any dangerous items are repaired or discarded. The layout of play equipment allows adults and children to move safely and freely between activities and to be constantly supervised.

All materials - including paint and glue - are non-toxic. Sand is clean and suitable for children's play and is regularly changed. Water used in water play is changed daily and the tray cleaned out at the end of play. Children are taught to handle and store tools safely and are always supervised.

All parents sign a consent form for their child to try, taste and explore foods.

When children take part in cooking activities, they: - are supervised at all times; - are kept away from hot surfaces and hot water; and - do not have unsupervised access to electrical equipment. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 Children learn about health, safety and personal hygiene through the activities we provide and the routines we follow.

Children sleeping Children who are sleeping are checked regularly. Children who sleep in the dream room are checked every 5 minutes if awake and 10 minutes if asleep. There is a monitor that goes through to the Baby room allowing staff to hear the children in the dream room at all times. Staff sign a sleep chart each time they check on a child.

More information relating to sleep safety can be found in our Sleep policy.

Food and drink Denton Island Nursery is registered as a food provider and as such takes our food safety procedures very seriously. The nursery provides children with breakfast, lunch and tea along with a morning and afternoon snack. Lunch is provided and prepared for the nursery by an outside company, Zebedee’s lunch box. Breakfast tea and snacks are prepared at nursery. Parents/carers can also choose to provide their children with a packed lunch should they wish to do so. We do not re-heat any foods prepared at home.

Storage; All food and drink is stored appropriately according to manufactures guidelines and fridges are provided in the nursery staff room and nursery baby room. We provide parents with up- to-date advice on what foods we can store safely at nursery. Food prepared at home is kept refrigerated.

We ensure food stored in the Fridge/ Freezers are place in suitable containers and do not store food in opened cans. We ensure we do not over-pack Fridge/ Freezers so that cool air can circulate. Made-up infant formula milks are stored at the back of the Fridge’s and not in the door compartment in line with current advice.

The nursery fridges located in the staff room and baby room are cleaned twice weekly and the temperature is checked at least once a day. In addition the temperature in the fridges is checked at random times by management by using a food probe to take the temperature of water stored in a bottle in each fridge. Fridge temperatures are kept between 1 to 4 degrees C if the temperature rises above 5.0 degrees C then action is taken to cool the fridge down. If temperatures rise above 8 degrees C for a period of four hours we will discard food stored in the fridge. Freezers are kept at -18 degrees C, and any food stored at -10 or above will be discarded. The nursery freezers are frost free and do not require defrosting.

The food probes used to check the temperature of the fridge’s and food are calibrated monthly by testing them on boiling water and crushed ice.

Preparation and service; Staff who prepare and handle food receive appropriate food safety training and understand - and comply with - food safety and hygiene regulations. This is included as part of the nursery’s staff induction process and training is updated every three years.

Adults do not carry hot drinks/food through the nursery. Hot drinks are not permitted in the nursery rooms where children are playing. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014

Snack and meal times are appropriately supervised and children do not walk about with food and drinks. We aim to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food at meal and snack times. Fresh drinking water is available to the children at all times, and independence is promoted. We operate systems to ensure that children do not have access to food/drinks to which they are allergic.

We ensure all staff handling or preparing food - wash their hands before, during and after handling foods - that food handlers keep their hair tied back, wear clean clothes and/or a disposable apron when preparing food - that surfaces are cleaned before and after food preparation - that different coloured chopping boards/ utensils are used to prepare raw and cooked foods, or that they are washed between uses - that food handlers do not eat or drink whilst preparing food and do not prepare or serve food to children if they are un-well

We follow foods standards agency advice when re-heating foods and do not reheat any food prepared at home.

- If Zebedee’s meals require re-heating then they are re-heated to a temperature of 75 degrees C or above. - We will only re-heat foods once. - We record the temperature of all re-heated foods - Heated/ re-heated foods are cooled as quickly as possible to serving temperature to minimise the risk of bacteria multiplying.

Deliveries and food providers We follow the following procedure when our lunch provider, Zebedee’s lunch box, arrives at nursery - Staff record the temperature of the food using a food probe, following the correct technique as detailed in the Zebedee’s Food serving guidelines. - the temperature is recorded on the sheet - If the temperature of the main meal is below 63 degrees C then a telephone call to Zebedee’s is made for advice - On advice from Zebedee’s the meal is either served directly or if necessary reheated to 75 degrees C and then served. If the permitted two hour window for food being below temperature is exceeded then the food will not be accepted. This is all recorded on ‘phone call to Zebedee’s sheet’ - In the event that food is re-heated this will be recorded on the meals sheet.

When our breakfast, snack and tea supplies arrive we record the temperature of the refrigerated van and refuse any food that has been stored above 8 degrees C.

Records and reporting In the event there is an incident of food poisoning that affects two or more children from the Nursery we will notify Ofsted and the relevant authorities. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 Information and records relating to food storage and preparation can be found in the Food safety file and the fridge/ freezer management file in the main room.

Breast milk/ Infant formula feeds We follow current government advice relating to the storage and preparation of infant feeds. Expressed breast milk can be stored in the nursery fridge safely for up to three days (at temperatures between five and ten degrees C) or in a the freezer for up to six months (at -18 degrees C). Breast milk is stored in sterile containers with capped lids and is labelled and dated prior to storage. It is always stored towards the back of the fridge/freezer. When warming breast milk a bottle warmer is used. Frozen breast milk is thawed in the fridge where it can be safely stored for twelve hours. If milk is thawed outside of the fridge (i.e. in a bottle warmer) it must be used immediately. Thawed breast milk is never re-frozen. Breast milk is only warmed in a bottle warmer and is shaken gently before it is used.

Parents/carers who have chosen to use Infant formula feeds can also be stored in the baby room prior to use. Parents/carers are asked to bring in pre-measured formula milk or cartons of made up feed which is stored in accordance with manufactures guidance until it is time to make up a feed. Staff have access to sterilisation facilities in the baby room for feeding equipment. When making up feeds good hygiene (as described above is followed by staff). Feeds are made up with water that has been boiled and allowed to cool for no more than thirty minutes. Feeds can then be cooled to service temperature by holding the bottle under running cold water, ensuring the teat is covered by the cap. The temperature of the feed should be tested on the inside of the wrist to ensure it is not too hot. Unused formula is discarded within two hours.

If parents/carers chose to bring in pre-prepared feeds then these can be stored near the back of the fridge for use during that session. These can be warmed to feeding temperature in a bottle warmer following the above guidance.

More information on food and drink and how we promote healthy eating can be found in our Food and Drink policy and Healthy Lunch Box Policy

Taking children out for walks

Please see our Guidelines for Outings and Visits Policy for how the nursery ensures the safety of children whilst on walks around the local area or on trips and outings.

Animals Animals visiting the nursery or nursery pets are free from disease, safe to be with children and do not pose a health risk. Parents/carers are made aware of any pets or animals on the premises or visiting the premises. All parents sign a consent form to allow their child to be in contact with an animal/animals when they are on the premises. Our Wildlife Policy details how we ensure the safety of the children with native wildlife visiting the nursery garden.

Fire safety Fire doors are clearly marked, never obstructed and easily opened from inside. Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 Smoke detectors/alarms and fire fighting appliances conform to BSEN (British European Standard Specification), are fitted in appropriate high risk areas of the building and are checked as specified by the manufacturer.

Our emergency evacuation procedures are approved by the Fire Safety Officer and are: - Clearly displayed in the premises; - explained to new members of staff, volunteers and parents; and - practised every six to eight weeks

Records are kept of fire drills and the servicing of fire safety equipment. The fire risk assessment is conducted annually and a three-monthly fire checklist is also completed.

Please see our evacuation policies and procedures in addition to our Health and Safety policy.

First aid At least one member of staff with a current first aid training certificate (relevant to infants and young children) is on the premises or on an outing at any one time. The first aid qualification includes first aid training for infants and young children. Currently two thirds of the nursery staff have full paediatric first aid training. All staff are provided with paediatric first aid as part of their inductions and training is repeated every three years.

At the time of admission to the nursery, parents' written permission for emergency medical advice or treatment is sought. Parents sign and date their written approval.

Staff are aware that they should not apply adhesive dressings/plasters to children.

Our first aid kit:

Complies with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and consists of:  Basic first aid instructions  sterile adhesive dressing (individually wrapped, including blue plasters for food handlers) 20;  breathing barrier for CPR 1;  eye pads – sterile 2;  triangular bandage – sterile 4;  safety pins 6;  medium dressing – sterile 6;  large dressing – sterile 2;  small wound dressings – sterile 1;  non allergic waterproof adhesive tape;  low adherent dressing 5cm by 5cm, sterile 5,  low adherent dressing 10cm by 10cm, sterile 5,  pack of sterile gauze swabs, 10 packs of 5,  scissors with rounded ends  yellow waste disposal bags;

The first aid boxes are regularly checked by a designated member of staff and re-stocked as necessary; it is easily accessible to adults; and is kept out of the reach of children. A Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 smaller emergency first aid kit is kept in the evacuation bag and an outings first aid kit is kept packed in the buggy-bag.

If a child has an accident whilst at Denton Island nursery, a member of staff will fill in an accident form, parents sign these forms and they are then kept in the child’s file. The nursery manager will sign all accident forms.

All staff know where the accident forms are kept and how to complete them. These are reviewed at least every week to identify any potential or actual hazards. Accident forms are also completed if a child comes to nursery with an injury, parents are asked to fill in details of the incident, and these are also kept in the child’s file.

If an injury or accident is sustained by an adult then the accident book is completed.

The Health and Safety person will complete an incident reflection as a record of near-misses for both staff and children for example an accident/incident which could have resulted in an injury. These forms are monitored and then fed into our Risk Assessment Process. (No parent signature is required for this report)

Ofsted is notified of any injury requiring treatment by a General Practitioner or hospital, or the death of a child or adult. Any injury requiring General Practitioner or hospital treatment to a child, parent, volunteer or visitor is reported to the local office of the Health and Safety Executive.

We meet our legal requirements for the safety of our employees by complying with RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injury, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). We report to the local office of the Health and Safety Executive:

 any accident to a member of staff requiring treatment by a General Practitioner or hospital; and  Any dangerous occurrences (i.e. an event which does not cause an accident but could have done).  In addition to this any accident sustained by a student from a school work experience placement is also reported to Connexions.

Medicines – illness and infections Please see our Sick child policy and Medicines policy for more details

Medicines – for children with on going or complex medical needs Please see the nursery’s Medicines policy for details.

Allergies Children with allergy’s will also come under the nursery’s medicines policy and will have an individual Health Care Plan put in place as described above. Parent/carers will be asked to share information such as describing their child’s allergy, its severity, triggers and signs and symptoms.

The health care plan will describe what measures are currently in place and what additional measures can be put into place in order to minimise the risk of the child coming into contact with their allergen. As it is not always possible to prevent a child coming into contact with Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014 certain allergens, (e.g. pollen, dust mites) a clear procedure is agreed with parents/carers describing what steps staff should follow in the event that the child comes into contact with an allergen or shows any of the signs and symptoms described in their health care plan.

This information is shared with staff to ensure that all precautions are taken to minimise the chances that the child has an allergic reaction whilst in our care. An allergy awareness poster can be made up and displayed in the relevant area’s. In the event that parents/carers do not consent to share information relevant to their child’s allergy or the management there for no action can be taken against staff who act in good faith in providing care to, or first aid to a child.

Sickness Please see our Sick child policy for information

Parents will be informed if there is any infection such as head lice, scabies, worms, impetigo or childhood infectious diseases which may affect other children or their parents.

Safety of adults Adults are provided with guidance about the safe storage, movement, lifting and erection of large pieces of equipment. When adults need to reach up to store equipment or to change light bulbs they are provided with safe equipment to do so.

All warning signs are clear and in appropriate languages. Adults do not remain in the building on their own or leave on their own after dark.

The sickness of staff and their involvement in accidents is recorded. The records are reviewed termly to identify any issues which need to be addressed.

We have a no smoking policy for employees and visitors to the centre to follow and states that smoking is prohibited on site. Staff are not permitted to smoke in their uniform.

Staff must not be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance that may affect their ability to look after children in their care. This may include prescription medications and staff must check with their GP to ensure any medications they are taking will not affect their ability to work with young children.

Please refer to the drugs, alcohol and medication policy.

Safety of student’s on placements All students and volunteers experience an induction process when they begin a placement at Denton Island Nursery; this includes health and safety information and guidance specific to students and young people. All students are supervised at all times whilst in the rooms of the nursery and are supported in any activities they are involved with by staff.

Students below the age of seventeen come under our child protection procedures.

For more information see our Student volunteer’s policy.

Records In accordance with the EYFS statutory framework, we keep records of: Updated on:11/06/13 Review date: March 2014

 adults authorised to collect children from nursery;  the names, addresses and telephone numbers of emergency contacts in case of children's illness or accident;  the allergies, dietary requirements and illnesses of individual children;  the times of attendance of children, staff, volunteers and visitors;  accidents; and  Incidents.

Contacts for health and safety matters are as follows:

Health and safety executive (HSE) incident contact centre: 0845 300 9923 HSE info line: 0845 345 0055 www.hse.gov.uk Ofsted – 08456 404040 Environmental health LDC – 01273 290000 Health Protection Agency - 01273 485300 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

For information relevant to Crèche’s please refer to the Crèche policy folder in the nursery office.