Health and Safety in Childcare
Health and Safety in Childcare is a fundamental duty of every person involved in a preschool service. All adults caring for children have a responsibility to keep them safe. In addition, employers are responsible under Health and Safety legislation for providing safe systems and place of work to their staff.
Occupational Health and Safety in Childcare
The childcare service’s responsibility is to provide a safe working environment and work practices for its staff. This is a requirement under the primary piece of legislation impacting childcare services; the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005.
Providing a safe and healthy environment that promotes the wellbeing of all involves a co-operative approach. This approach involves the management, staff, parents, children and visitors. It means involving parents by informing them of policies and encouraging their participation. For staff it can involve, among other things, information, training and consultation. For example, it can include health and safety as a regular item for discussion at team meetings.
To help your employees adopt safe working practices, the eLearn Safety has developed a fully online Workplace Safety course.
Fire Safety in Childcare
Managers of childcare services have a duty to implement an effective fire safety management policy. This policy should minimise the risk of fire occurring. If a fire or other emergency does occur, ensure rapid and safe evacuation. For example, ensure that children and staff on the premises are evacuated safely and without delay. In addition, a member of staff should be assigned responsibility for the implementation and overseeing of the fire safety programme.
The Child and Family Agency (Tusla) has prepared A Guide to Building Safety – Fire and Planning Requirements. The purpose of this document is to help early year’s services ensure appropriate fire safety measures are in place.
In addition, to help your employees manage fire safety issues, the eLearn Safety has developed a fully online Fire Safety Awareness course.
Health and Safety in Childcare – Internal and External Environments
An internal and external environment in a childcare service must cater for child’s need to explore their world. In addition, it must provide a safe environment in which to do so. The flow of children and adults in the building should be considered. Access issues can impact on the service in terms of disruption. In addition, it may lead to health and safety incidents and accidents.
To help your employees maintain a safe internal and external environment, the eLearn Safety has developed a fully online Slips, Trips and Falls course.
Hygiene and Infection Prevention Control
Hygiene is essential in maintaining a safe and healthy childcare service. For example, daily cleaning routines and proper hand washing procedures. In addition, promotion of oral health and policies to deal with infection and exclusion are crucial.
Good hygiene practices and effective hand washing are the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infection among children. In childcare services, infections can be spread due to the presence of large numbers of people in close proximity over a number of hours. Germs thrive in warm, moist environments that are poorly ventilated. Germs do not survive well in dry, clean conditions. Childcare management and staff should be familiar with common infections. Furthermore, they should be aware of how to prevent the spread of infection.
To help your employees implement infection prevention control measures, the eLearn Safety has developed a fully online Infection Prevention and Control course.
Food Safety and Safe Food Handling
In common with other food operations, pre-schools are subject to the provisions of a number of pieces of food safety legislation. These set down the obligations on the owners of food businesses to ensure that the business is operated in a hygienic way.
The rules of hygiene cover a number of requirements. For example, rooms where food is prepared, foodstuffs, transportation, equipment, food waste, water supply, personal hygiene and training. Owners are also obliged to identify steps in the activities of the business that are critical to ensuring food safety. In addition, they must ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented and reviewed.
To help your employees ensure safe food handling, the eLearn Safety has developed a number of fully online Food Safety and HACCP courses.
Child Protection
Child protection should promote the overall welfare and development of the child. This in turn will contribute to the growth of their self-esteem and personal autonomy. Consequently, this is achieved by creating a safe and sound environment. Furthermore, a safe environment is where trust, respect, equity and, in particular, a real willingness to listen to children is established. Undeniably, a focus on what is in the interests of the child must be the guiding principle.
To summarise, it is the shared responsibility of the manager and the staff members to ensure that children are kept safe.
Tusla has worked with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to develop a universal e-learning programme. This programme is called Introduction to Children First. The programme has been written to support people of all backgrounds and experience. To this end, the course will help them recognise concerns about children and report such concerns if they arise.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established eLearn Safety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
eLearn Safety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Fire Extinguishers and How to Use Them
This article will look into fire extinguishers and how to use them. A fire extinguisher is a portable device that discharges a jet of water, foam, gas, or other material to extinguish a fire. Usually, fire extinguishers are red with a coloured label to indicate its type. In addition, they must be accompanied by a sign giving details of its type and use. This sign must be placed by the extinguisher.
Extinguishing Fires
To extinguish a fire, one or more of the elements in the fire triangle has to be removed or reduced to a level where it will no longer support combustion. Furthermore, most extinguishers work by smothering or cooling the fire (or a combination of both methods). Employers and those responsible for premises must provide appropriate firefighting equipment for the risk and make sure sufficient people are trained in its use.
Fire Extinguisher Checks
A trained fire extinguisher engineer should inspect and service all extinguishers annually. Extinguishers should be suitable for the risks assessed and highlighted in the Fire Safety Risk Assessment. In addition, it is also important that extinguishers are checked regularly throughout the year to make sure:
- The pressure gauge needle is in the correct position (in the green zone).
- There are no signs of tampering and the safety pin is in place.
- It has been serviced within the last 12 months (a test label should be visible)
- There are no signs of rust, corrosion or leaks.
- It is sited correctly in an easily accessible position, ready to be picked up and with a sign indicating its type placed next to it.
Commonly Used Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are red with a coloured label to indicate its type. A sign giving details of its type and use must be placed by the extinguisher.
Water Extinguishers [RED LABEL]
Only suitable for use on solid materials such as wood, paper, straw, textiles, coal etc.
Foam Extinguishers [CREAM LABEL]
Can be used on flammable liquids and the same type of fires that water extinguishers can be used on. Particularly suitable for petrol and diesel fires. Do not use on cooking oil, fat pan fires or flammable metal fires. Do not use on electrical equipment (unless stated otherwise).
CO2 (carbon dioxide) Extinguishers [BLACK LABEL]
Suitable for fires involving electrical equipment (even when live). Can also be used on flammable liquids, e.g. paint, petrol etc.
Note:
- Do not use on cooking oil, fat pan fires or flammable metal fires.
- Should not be used in confined spaces.
- The fire may re-ignite as it does not cool very well.
- The discharge horn and hose may freeze and could cause cold burns if in direct contact with the skin.
Dry Powder Extinguisher [BLUE LABEL]
Can be used on most types of fire, including fires on electrical equipment (but it could damage the equipment).
Note:
- Do not use on cooking oil, fat pan fires or flammable metal fires.
- Not suitable for confined places (can affect visibility and people with breathing problems).
Wet Chemical Extinguishers [YELLOW LABEL]
The only extinguisher that can be used on cooking oils and fats (e.g. lard, butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, etc.)
Note:
- Should not be used on petrol, spirits or mineral oils. Check manufacturer’s instructions for other uses.
Fire Blankets
Fire blankets are made of a fire retardant material and are used to smother small fires. Generally, they are most commonly found in kitchens. In order to extinguish the fire, where it is safe and quick to do so, you should turn off the heat (e.g. the gas or electric supply to a cooker). However, if the fire is bigger than the blanket, you should not attempt to smother it.
Using a fire blanket:
- Pull it out from the case.
- Hold it in front of you, gripping it near the top corners.
- Protect your hands by making sure the blanket covers them.
- Place the blanket over the fire.
- Leave the fire covered for 30 minutes to prevent re-ignition (hot liquids and oils are particularly likely to re-ignite if oxygen becomes available again) Some fire blankets are designed for single use, so the manufacturer’s instructions should be checked following a fire.
Using a Fire Extinguisher
You should only ever attempt to fight a fire if it is safe to do so! You should only fight a fire if:
- Someone has already raised the alarm.
- The emergency services have been called.
- The correct type of extinguisher is available.
- You are competent and have been trained to use the extinguisher.
- A safe escape route is available.
- The fire is smaller than a waste paper bin.
Do not fight a fire if:
- The room is filling with smoke or the fire is spreading.
- Other hazards are present (such as chemicals or gas cylinders).
- The fire is not reducing or more than one extinguisher is required.
Whilst different extinguishers should have their instructions for use on the cylinder, the general advice for operating a fire extinguisher can be remembered as PASS:
- P – Pull Pull the pin. This will also break the tamper seal.
- A – Aim Aim low, pointing the extinguisher (nozzle, horn or hose) at the base of the flames.
- S – Squeeze Squeeze the handle until the extinguisher discharges.
- S – Sweep Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire until it appears to be out. Watch the area. If the fire reignites, repeat steps 2 to 4.
REMEMBER
Do not attempt to fight a fire unless you have been trained to do so.
Training Requirements
The eLearn Safety fully online Fire Safety Awareness course is designed to help employers meet their legal requirement to provide information and training to staff regarding specific hazards. Without doubt, fire safety is an essential part of any safety management system. This course, along with regular fire drills, will help ensure regulatory compliance.
Further Reading
The Health and Safety Authority of Ireland (HSA) provides a wealth of useful information about fire safety on their website pages. Fire safety awareness training should form part of a good fire safety management system. However, training alone should not substitute for active monitoring and involvement from management. Regular drills should be carried out to ensure regulatory compliance.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established eLearn Safety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
eLearn Safety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace is having a culture that values uniqueness: people of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, and races. Inclusion means inviting diverse groups to take part in company life.
Research into Ireland’s Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
First-of-a-kind Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) benchmarking for the Irish market has been launched by the Irish Centre for Diversity (ICFD). It draws from the most comprehensive research into D&I in the Irish market. It involved almost 100 organisations that employ 60,000+ people across both the public and private sectors. Organisations will now be able to compare their D&I performance both at a national level, and against those in similar areas such as Public Sector, Professional Services, Construction and Engineering, Insurance and Finance.
According to the ICFD, data from the research showed that 90% of workers in Ireland felt respected by their colleagues. However, 2 out of 5 employees do not feel their organisation advances equality of opportunity. Furthermore, just 51% of employees believe their organisation neglects diverse groups. In addition, 33% – a third of employees feel that their organisations do not treat everyone fairly.
Why are Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace Important?
There is a significant body or research that outlines clear correlation between diversity and performance. This is because diversity, inclusion and feeling of belonging are interconnected. It is in combination that their true impact emerges. However, it is not only about ‘performance’ and business ‘achievements’. It is also very much about already mentioned – belonging. Belonging is the third critical piece to Diversity and Inclusion. It’s belonging that makes each individual feel accepted for who they are. It is the thing that – a feeling, that will drive personal motivation and satisfaction. It will also ensure keeping the workplace mentally (and possibly physically) healthy.
How can we Foster Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace?
We can foster diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace by:
- Ensuring that diverse talent is well represented.
- Strengthening leadership accountability and capabilities.
- Be fair and transparent, enabling equality of opportunity.
- Promoting openness and tackling microaggressions, bias, and discrimination.
- Fostering belonging through unequivocal support for all the ways diversity manifests.
In addition, you can explore the diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) approach by completing eLearn Safety fully-online Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging course. In this course, topics such as creating a culture of diversity and belonging and avoiding bias are covered.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearnsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Handling Food Safely
Handling food safely for consumer use is not only a moral obligation – it is a legal one! Each year thousands of people get seriously ill due to food poisoning. Some of these people may die. Those most at risk include the very young, the elderly, people who are already ill and pregnant women.
The spread of food poisoning bacteria can be prevented by good food handling practices and by maintaining good personal hygiene.
Handling Food Safely Examples
These are some of the examples of handling food safely:
- Never allow raw food to come into contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Store raw foods separately from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
- Alternatively, store raw food on the bottom shelf in the fridge and store cooked and ready-to-eat food on the top shelves.
- Keep food covered or store it in sealed food containers.
- Wash your hands between handling raw and cooked and/or ready-to-eat foods.
- Use separate work areas, utensils and equipment for preparing raw and cooked/ ready-to-eat foods. If this is not possible, clean and disinfect utensils and work surfaces carefully between these tasks.
- Ensure that your service cloth is kept clean and is replaced frequently.
Examples of Good Personal Hygiene
Good personal hygiene is one of the most important principles of handling food safely. These are some of the examples of good personal hygiene:
- Wash hands regularly!
- Did we mention Wash Your Hands regularly!
- Wash your hands thoroughly using hot water and liquid soap:
-
- Before starting work.
- Before handling cooked and/or ready-to-eat food.
- Before using disposable gloves.
- After handling raw food.
- After using the toilet.
- After handling rubbish.
- After smoking.
- After touching your hair or face, sneezing, coughing and using a handkerchief.
- After performing routine cleaning tasks.
You can watch Hand Washing in the Hospitality video HERE.
General Handling Food Safely Advice
The following is general advice on handling food safely:
Be clean and tidy
- Be clean and tidy and wear clean protective clothing such as an apron or overall when handling or serving food.
- Keep hair clean and covered under a cap or hairnet. Long hair must be tied up.
- Keep nails clean and short.
- Don’t wear strong perfume, nail varnish or excessive make-up.
- Restrict your jewellery to a plain wedding band and small earrings.
Treat food with care
- Do not handle food unnecessarily.
- use tongs where possible.
- Do not pick your nose, lick your fingers, taste food with your fingers, eat, chew gum, cough or sneeze near food that you are preparing or serving.
- Cover cuts and sores with a blue waterproof dressing.
- Inform your immediate supervisor if you have diarrhoea or an upset stomach. If you are ill you should not prepare or handle food but may perform alternative duties until the illness has passed.
Food Safety Training
It is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity.
For this reason and to learn more about food poisoning and how to prevent it, the eLearn Safety has developed fully online food safety courses. These courses are designed to introduce participants to food safety and hygiene issues. In addition, all courses are based on the training criteria set down by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s Guide to Food Safety Training at appropriate level.
Afterwards, on completion of any of our food safety training courses, participants will be able to understand their requirements under Irish food safety legislation as well as following best work practices at appropriate level.
Likewise, you can find further useful information on how you can stop the spread of food poisoning bacteria and other food safety relevant information on the FSAI website.
Consequences of Poor Food Handling
According to the BBC some 113 people have become ill with E. coli in recent weeks in the UK. Experts believe it is most likely linked to a nationally distributed food item. According to the UKHSA the location of reported cases is as follows:
- 81 in England.
- 18 in Wales.
- 13 in Scotland.
- 1 in Northern Ireland (for this case, evidence suggests that they acquired their infection while visiting England).
At the same time, in Ireland the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that nine Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses during the month of May for breaches of food safety legislation.
Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in May include: evidence of rodent infestation, including dead rodents in multiple areas, including under a fridge and under shelves on the shop floor; raw fish defrosting at room temperature in a dirty container on the floor of the kitchen area; accumulation of dirt, cobwebs and dead insects on floors; inadequate cleaning and a build-up of waste stored in a room next to toilets with foul odour and flies present; no hot water, soap or paper towels available at the wash hand basin in the staff toilet; absence of an adequate food safety culture particularly regarding training of staff.
Online Food Safety Training
Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Workplace Risk Assessment
Workplace risk assessment is fundamental step of any workplace Safety Management System (SMS). A risk assessment is a process used to identify potential hazards and analyze what could happen if a disaster or hazard occurs.
Understanding Risk Assessment
In order to understand ‘risk’ and ultimately ‘risk assessment’ we must perhaps firstly comprehend what constitutes risk and what risk is. Why we, as humans take risks almost every day of our waking lives. We take risks at home, in the office, and certainly on our way to work in the mornings as we undergo the ‘commute’ and face the challenges inherent within.
Haimes (2009), discusses risk as an amalgamation of risk dimensions, but with a more ‘human’ understanding of a problem or ‘risk interpretation’. For example, the crusty ‘old timer’, has a subjective understanding of a system that only ‘he’ understands. To use an example of a ships’ engine, the ‘old boy’ can ‘hear’ the problem. They can almost ‘feel’ the problem, sensing the risk in its continued use as opposed to the new trainee. The new trainee approaches the problem from a ‘text book’ stance. Both individuals are aware of ‘risk’ but each approach the issue from completely different angles.
Risk as an Uncertainty Management
Power (2004), labels risk as ‘uncertainty management’. He goes on to discuss how we try to create ‘constructs’ in which we can work and live. For example, seatbelts, signage, ISO standards etc. Power (2004, p.9) states that “we cannot know the risks we face now or in the future but we must act as if we do”. This is perhaps the whole ‘crux’ of risk management and risk assessment. We ‘plan’ for an outcome, we anticipate it to a certain extent but we can never fully know what its full effect will be.
As previously mentioned, we wear seat-belts, and bikers wear helmets. Unfortunately, that that does not remove the risk of excessive speed or other motorists. We can experience a car crash, we can survive. We exit our vehicles in a state of shock but then we wander onto the motorway and are stuck by a passing vehicle whose driver’s attention has been taken up with their voyeuristic intent to see the carnage of our current situation. That momentary ‘lapse’ in their concentration dooms us. Although we have ‘planned’ for a certain risk, (a car crash), we have not planned for our own immobility or shock, nor the ignorance of outside observers.
Available Solutions
So, what can we do? How do we plan for risk and conduct adequate risk assessment. Can we remove or reduce the factors which precipitate disaster, and stop ourselves and others from for getting hurt? Hollnagel, (2008, p. 172) discuses resilience and how it requires the capacity for anticipation of risk and a management plan to be applied as risks arises. To this end, perhaps the ‘Robson Risk Management Model’ may be adequate and appropriate in this regard.
This model can be used in both a ‘personal’ concept and applied in an organisational context.
Perception of the Risk
The individual or organisation perceives that a risk may be inherent in a certain activity or action.
Risk Identification.
The risk(s) of the activity is ‘identified’ and ‘labelled’ (in the organisational context) with a ‘risk assessment’ form.
Assessing Risk
The risk is ‘assessed’ on the basis of its ‘potentiality’ and ‘gravity’. If we are competent and thoughtful driver, the likelihood that we will experience a car crash might be low, but still exist. The severity however, if we crash, might be catastrophic.
Risk Strategies
Stemming from the risk assessment above, numerous risk strategies are developed with a view to removing the risk even further. This can take the form of ‘avoidance’, transfer, retention or reduction. This is referred to as the ‘HOC’ or hierarchy of controls, and is applied as follows:
Eliminate hazard at source
Elimination of a hazardous material or method. This is a permanent solution which eliminates the offending item completely, however this may not always be a viable scenario. Some hazardous items must be used or worked with in their current state, such as ‘live’ munitions on a range.
Substitute hazard at source.
If it is possible to substitute an item. An example of which is when a military force might use ‘blank rounds’ for exercises and instruction of new entrants. This substitution completely removes the risk of ‘friendly fire’ occurring.
Isolate or enclose the hazard.
An example of this is range practices being conducted ‘only’ on certified and controlled ranges. An adequate security and signalling is there in place to prevent entry to non-firers and to inform others that a shoot is taking place. This allows for the hazard to be successfully isolated and controlled without the possibility of injury.
Engineering controls
Examples of this are the aforementioned security at ranges, flag system of notification and cordon enclosing the range.
Administrative controls
Adequate supply of qualified and experienced range managers ‘in situ’ to manage the firing, observe and enforce safety measures/controls and relieve one another for breaks throughout the day. This allows for fresh, focused and diligent staff to manage the activity.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
The last measure is the use of the correct PPE. On range practices, shooters, range security, ‘butt party’ members (those controlling the targets) and range staff must all wear adequate PPE. PPE is in the form of a Kevlar helmet, double hearing protection and GSBA (general service body armour). This control enables an extra layer of protection in the unlikely event of a miss fire.
Risk Evaluation
Following all of the above measures, the risk is then re-evaluated in order to ascertain if it still poses the same levels of risk or if the necessary controls are adequate and appropriate to remove or reduce the threat as far as possible. However, it must always be borne in mind that the full elimination of risk is perhaps impossible as it encapsulates far too many variables (both known and unknown), such as human factors, equipment, environment and indeed the risk area itself, thus in order to live with risk we should perhaps understand that a measure of risk is ever present and ‘natural’ and may even be ‘necessary’ for our continued advancement as a species.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie