Hempsted Playgroup and Toddlers

                                                                                                       Risk Assessments

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Hempsted Playgroup believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance. We make sure our playgroup is a safe and healthy place for children, parents, staff and volunteers by assessing and minimising the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment.

 

Risk assessment means taking note of aspects of your workplace and activities that could cause harm, either to yourself or to others, and deciding what needs to be done to prevent that harm, making sure this is adhered to and is updated when necessary.

 

The law does not require that all risk is eliminated –but that ‘reasonable precaution’ is taken.

 

This is particularly important when balancing the need for children to be able to take appropriate risks through physically challenging play.

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Children need the opportunity to work out what is not safe and what they should do when faced with a risk.

 

Hempsted Playgroup use risk assessment processes to ensure the health and safety of our children and staff.

 

We follow the Pre-school Learning Alliance's 5 steps process to risk assessment:

1.  Identification of risk

     where is it and what is it?

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2.  Who is at risk?

      for example childcare staff, children, parents, cooks, cleaners?

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3.  Assessment as to the level of risk as high, medium, low.

      This is both the risk of the likelihood of it happening, as well as the possible impact if it did.

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4.  Control measures to reduce/eliminate risk

      what will you need to do, or ensure others will do, in order to reduce that risk?

 

5.  Monitoring and review

      How do you know if what you have said is working, or is thorough enough? If it is not working, it will need to be amended, or              maybe there is a better solution.

 

 

Regular Checks ‘Providers must ensure they take all reasonable steps to ensure staff and children in their care are not exposed to risks and must be able to demonstrate they are managing risks’ (statutory requirements for the EYFS 2021 3.65) 

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The following areas will be constantly monitored in our daily risk assessments.

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·       Emergency lighting.

·       Fire doors checked and opened and kept clear of obstruction.

·       Escape routes checked and kept clear.

·       All aisles will be kept clear at all times especially those leading to fire doors

·       A qualified expert will check all Fire Extinguishers, fire blankets, smoke alarms regularly etc. 

·       All staff will be aware of where the Fire Extinguishers are, how they work and when they should be used. This is included as                 part of the induction of new staff. 

·       All hazardous products will have the appropriate COSHH Safety Data Sheets and be kept locked away from children and young           people.

·       All medicines will be locked away from children and young people.

·       Internal and External risk assessments are completed daily.

·       Any hazards identified will be evaluated, action proposed and will have a date to implement.

·       All risk assessments will be regularly monitored and reviewed and a record kept.

·       Risk assessments will be reviewed termly unless circumstances dictate this is done sooner and evaluated for internal, external           areas and manual handling.

·       Fire risk assessments will also be reviewed termly. 

·       Copies of all risk assessments will be kept in the risk assessment file. 

·       Electrical Products will be PAT tested annually.

·       Parental involvement is welcomed and parents are made aware of their responsibilities for closing the gates, not letting                       strangers into the building, reporting potential hazards and completing the signing in/out procedures. 

·       Children will be encouraged to learn health and safety, and how to manage risks safety.

 

 

 

Reviewed September 2023

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