Health and Safety in Childcare

6 December 2024

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

eLearn Online Health and Safety Training