Are there Food Safety Requirements for a Childcare Provider?
The Environmental Health Association of Ireland (EHAI) recommends that where a childcare service provides food to children, relevant staff are required to have food safety training.
The childcare provider needs to have a HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) Food Safety System in place.
Your food safety management system allows you to identify and control any hazards that could pose a danger to the preparation of safe food. It helps you to:
- identify what can go wrong
- plan to prevent it
- make sure you are doing it.
According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), If you are responsible for developing and maintaining your business’s HACCP based procedures then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles.
HACCP training is a requirement
What Level of Food Safety Training Do Our Staff Need?
The Food Safety (HACCP) Level 1 course is ideal for those with no previous experience, with light food handling duties and/or performing low-risk duties (such as waiters, baristas, caregivers, kitchen porters, deli shop assistants, etc.).
This is the recommended level for all food handlers, or those working in a kitchen setting, who do not have management responsibility for HACCP.
Food Safety HACCP Level 3 defines food safety skills for management and is aimed specifically towards Catering Managers, Supervisors, Executive and Head Chefs within the Hospitality Industry, Industrial and Institutional Catering Units, along with the Health Sector, Retail Sector and Delis.There should be at least one food worker with Food Safety HACCP Level 3 on duty in a food premises.
Managers, Owners, need to be able to manage HACCP systems. They should also have a good understanding of how to implement a HACCP Programme for their workplace. All food businesses are required by law to have a food safety management system in place based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point).
What Can Myelearnsafety Do for You?
Contact Myelearnsafety, HACCP Food Safety Training Consultants can be contacted for free HACCP Food Safety Advice and Guidance.
Telephone the office @ 01 278 1938 – As for Shane or Cormac
Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults
Vulnerable adults are those who are restricted in capacity to guard themselves against harm or exploitation. All persons have the right to be safe and to live a life free from abuse and/or neglect, regardless of their circumstances of gender, age etc. The term ‘safeguarding’ in the context of these standards means putting measures in place in services to reduce the risk of harm, to promote people’s human rights, health and wellbeing, and empowering people to protect themselves.
Elder abuse defined
Elder Abuse is defined as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person or violates their human and civil rights. (Protecting our Future, Report of the Working Group on Elder Abuse, September 2002). Sixty five years of age is taken as the point beyond which abuse may be considered to be elder abuse.
Source – Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
The HSE Health Act Regulations
Health Act Regulations, 2013. This policy applies to older persons or persons with a disability that, as a result of physical or intellectual impairment, may be at risk of abuse. The person may be in receipt of a care service in his or her own home, in the community or be resident in a residential care home, nursing home or other setting. Equally, the person may not be in receipt of a care service.
Some of the principles underpinning the policy include:
- Respect for human rights
- A person centred approached to care and services
- Promotion of advocacy
- Respect for confidentially
- Empowerment of individuals
- A collaborative approach
Source – HSE
Types of abuse
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Financial abuse
- Institutional abuse
- Neglect
- Discriminatory abuse
World Elder Abuse Day
On the 15th of this month (June 2019) it was World Elder Abuse Day. This day was first introduced back in 2006 and it was to bring attention to the issue of elder abuse in our global society and as a public health and humans rights concern.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day provides an opportunity for all of us to focus our attention on elder abuse. It challenges each one of us to redouble efforts to promote respect and dignity for all older people and to help eradicate abuse of older people. Everybody has a role to play and the challenges posed by elder abuse cannot be met solely by any one individual, organisation, or state body, it is all our responsibilities.
Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course
We at MyElearnSafety want to be part of the solution to this type of abuse so we are created a Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course . This course will enable service users to understand fully what safeguarding a vulnerable adult entails: What is a vulnerable adult? What constitutes abuse? How to respond to signs of abuse; How to respond to concerns of an elderly person who may have suffered abused.
Our ‘Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults’ course is approved by the Irish Association of Healthcare Assistants (IAHA).
Fire Safety in Hospitality
Section 11 of the 2005 Act states that employers are required to prepare and revise adequate emergency plans and procedures and provide the necessary measures for fire fighting and the evacuation of the workplace. Consideration for all employees and anyone connected with the workplace must form part of how an employer addresses the area of safety health and welfare and specifically the provision of emergency access and egress.
Soure – HSA
Fire safety equipment and systems
All hotels, bars, restaurants, catering etc.. should be equipped with suitable fire safety equipment.
Smoke Detectors
When you have a bigger property, most jurisdictions require that you have an automated centralized smoke detector that integrates all smoke detectors in each location with a master panel. This alerts the staff to immediately identify where a smoke detector has activated and take steps of action without delay.
Fire Extinguishers
ABC fire extinguishers are multi-purpose and are the most commonly sold fire extinguishers for businesses and commercial properties. What does the ABC stand for? They are classes of what type of fires that fire extinguisher can put out:
- Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
- Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
- Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances
Sprinkler Systems
According to Engineers Ireland comprehensive report, Systems designed to BS 9251 are primarily for the protection of life and not intended for the protection of property or commercial risks. Sprinkler Systems are usually required as a means of demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations. However, there may also be occasions where a Sprinkler System is installed to compensate where a building is unable to achieve compliance with building regulations, for example;
- New / Older buildings where the minimum fire resistance cannot be achieved
- Buildings that cannot meet the access requirements for fire appliances
- Attic conversions where adequate secure escape is not practical or possible
Evacuation plan
All hospitality sectors need to have an emergency evacuation plan. A route must be laid out and that route must never at any stage be blocked or obstructed. Regardless of the location of a fire, once people are aware of it, they should be able to proceed safely along a recognisable escape route, to a place of safety.
If the premises is small and has a simple layout, the normal entrances and exits may be sufficient. There should be no possibility of anyone being cut off by smoke or flames before they can make their escape.
Competent Person
All premises need to have an assigned fire warden or a competent person to maintain all the fire safety equipment – Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems & evacuation paths. They are in charge of;
- How the system works
- When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
- Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong
- In addition details of what was agreed for the sprinkler system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation
Take a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.
If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
New Partnership Announcement with IAHA
We are very happy to announce a new partnership with with Irish Association of Healthcare Assistances (IAHA).
IAHA
The Irish Association of Healthcare Assistants is the professional body for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs.)
Their aim is to elevate the professional standard and performance of HCAs through a formal recognised qualification (QQI Level 5), continued professional development and advocacy. They believe this is achieved through fostering high standards of professional conduct, training and competence. The IAHA strives to ensure that HCAs are included as valued members of the nursing team.
They appreciate that Healthcare assistants and clinical support workers have started to undertake advanced roles; Venepuncture, Urinalysis, Oxygen Therapy, Safe Administration of Medication, Wound dressings, Vital Sign & Blood Glucose Checks – list is endless. The IAHA support their professional development through governance guidelines and having the necessary structures, processes, standards and oversight in place to ensure that safe, person centred and effective services are delivered.
My Elearn Safety are proud to be partnered with a company who strive to elevate this standard of Healthcare and we look forward to working closely with them for the foreseeable future.
