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

Paediatric First Aid – Choking

Paediatric First Aid – Choking article will look into helping a child and infant in case of choking. Choking happens when an object lodges in the throat or windpipe blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food is usually to blame. Young children often choke on small objects. Choking is life-threatening. It cuts off oxygen to the brain.

 

Paediatric First Aid – Choking Child

How to recognise if the Child is choking?

First step is to ask the child if they are choking. Second step is to observe:

• Mild obstruction: Difficulty in speaking, coughing and breathing.
• Severe obstruction: Inability to speak, cough or breathe. Eventual unconsciousness.

 

How to Help Choking Child

Step 1. Encourage Child to Cough

If the child is breathing, encourage her to cough to try to remove the obstruction herself. If this fails, go to step 2.

Step 2. Give Up to Five Back Blows

If the child cannot speak, cough or breathe, bend her forward. Give up to five sharp blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Check her mouth. If choking persists, proceed to step 3.

Step 3. Give Up To Five Abdominal Thrusts

Stand behind the child. Put both your arms around her, and put one fist between her navel and the bottom of her breastbone. Grasp your fist with your other hand, and pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times. Recheck the child’s mouth.

Step 4. Call For Emergency Help

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the obstruction clears. If after three cycles it still has not cleared, call 999/112 for emergency help. Continue the sequence until help arrives, the obstruction is cleared or the child loses consciousness.

Source: St. John Ambulance [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G_0YxMEViE]

 

Paediatric First Aid – Choking Infant

How to recognise if the Child is choking?

With choking infant, it is very important to carefully observe and look for:

• Mild obstruction: Able to cough but difficulty in breathing or making any noise.
• Severe obstruction: Inability to cough, make any noise or breathe. Eventual unconsciousness.

 

How to Help Choking Infant

Step 1. Give Up To Five Back Blows

If the infant is unable to cough or breathe, lay her face down along your thigh, and support her head. Give up to five back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.

Step 2. Check Infant’s Mouth

Turn the infant over so that she is face up along your other leg and check her mouth. Check the mouth – do not sweep the mouth with your finger. Pick out any obvious obstructions. If choking persists, proceed to step 3.

Step 3. Give Up To Five Chest Thrusts

With the infant still lying on your leg, place two fingertips on the lower half of her breastbone, a finger’s breadth below the nipples. Give up to five sharp thrusts, pushing inwards and downwards, towards the head. Recheck the infant’s mouth.

Step 4. Call For Emergency Help

Repeat steps 1 to 3. If after three cycles the obstruction is still not clear, take the infant with you and call 999/112 for emergency help. Continue the sequence until help arrives, the obstruction is cleared or the infant loses consciousness.

Source: St. John Ambulance [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oswDpwzbAV8]

 

Raising Awareness

There are a number of ways in which one can train and refresh their knowledge in Paediatric First Aid. eLearn Safety offers fully online, blended and face-to-face environmental and occupational health and safety courses. One of such courses is Paediatric First Aid course. At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Assess the paediatric patient.
• Perform the CPR on a child and infant.
• Place the child and infant in the recovery position.
• Know how to treat the choking child and infant.
• Stop bleeding.

Furthermore, there are a number of useful resources available online. Such resources are St. John Ambulance and their Paediatric First Aid Get Advice section. This is First Aid advice for children and babies including choking, croup, drowning, head injuries, hypothermia, how to do a primary survey, CPR and the recovery position. In addition, the HSE provides information about how to treat cuts and bleeding in babies and children and when to get medical help via their webpage First aid.

 

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

Importance of Paediatric First Aid Training

Importance of Paediatric First Aid training is tremendous. Basic first aid training and knowledge can save a distressed child’s life. First aid, in general, is the act of giving someone who is in medical emergency initial help and assistance until access to professional medical assistance can be provided.

 

Legal Framework

The Child Care Act, 1991 (early years services) Regulations 2016 state that a registered provider shall ensure that a person trained in first aid for children is, at all times, immediately available to the children attending the pre-school service. This training must cover both infants and children and enable the Paediatric First Aider to work in different roles. These roles might be roles in childminding, nannying, pre-school work, creche work, teaching, au pair roles, and any role with the responsibility for looking after children.

But there is another aspect to the importance of Paediatric First Aid Training beyond the legal framework. Such training is designed to empower parents with the confidence and competence to respond effectively to emergencies involving children.

 

Practical Importance of Paediatric First Aid Training

A core responsibility of the Paediatric First Aider is to assess the patient quickly for any life threatening injuries.

An infant or child’s body cannot survive without oxygen. 3 to 4 minutes without the oxygen, the brain will begin to die and the damage to the brain will be irreversible. To prevent this, in Paediatric First Aid we aim to quickly assess the patient as follows:

• Primary Survey. The aim of the primary survey is to rapidly assess the infant or child for life threatening emergencies to airway, breathing and circulation. In addition, here we aim to treat each emergency before moving on to the next part of the primary survey. In general, the primary survey consists of checking the patient against the DR ABC acronym (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Circulation). This approach should be used for every patient the Paediatric First Aider is required to assess.
• Secondary Survey. Once the primary survey is completed, a secondary survey should be completed by the Paediatric First Aider. The purpose of this survey is to find any other injuries such as fractures, dislocations, etc. In addition, the purpose of this survey is to find out the patient’s medical history. On some occasions, whether life threatening conditions are detected in the primary survey, it may not be possible to complete the secondary survey.

 

Raising Awareness

There are a number of ways in which one can train and refresh their knowledge in Paediatric First Aid. eLearn Safety offers fully online, blended and face-to-face environmental and occupational health and safety courses. One of such courses is Paediatric First Aid course. At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Assess the paediatric patient.
• Perform the CPR on a child and infant.
• Place the child and infant in the recovery position.
• Know how to treat the choking child and infant.
• Stop bleeding.

Furthermore, there are a number of useful resources available online. Such resources are St. John Ambulance and their Paediatric First Aid Get Advice section. This is First Aid advice for children and babies including choking, croup, drowning, head injuries, hypothermia, how to do a primary survey, CPR and the recovery position. In addition, the HSE provides information about how to treat cuts and bleeding in babies and children and when to get medical help via their webpage First aid.

 

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