Child safety is an issue that child care centres need to consider in developing their safety polices and practices. This issue is very important because safe environments for children are essential to prevent injury, which is the leading cause of death for children. The nature of children, who interact with their environment in an exploratory way, explains why injury often arises, especially when children learn to use new equipment or develop new skills. Child care centres, along with their management and professionals have the responsibility to provide safe environment for children in their facilities. Effective risk management methods and regular training in child safety such as emergency evacuation, CPR, water safety and use of fire extinguishers should be conducted since they will minimise safety risks.
Dangerous products are some things that need special attention in the effort to provide safe environments for children in child care centres. Poisonous and dangerous products such as cleaning products, garden and pest control chemicals, medications and sharp objects must be kept out of children’s reach at all times. Poisonous substances in particular should be labelled clearly. Yet the labelling should be made in a way that does not attract children’s curiosity or attention. Precautions should also be taken for spiders and vermin because they can also threaten child safety.
Buildings and grounds in child care centres should also be designed and set up to provide safe environments for children. While prioritising child’s safety, the buildings and grounds should also provide an environment that is stimulating and allows children to take reasonable risks. All areas and objects including play areas, fences, doors, windows, storage areas, sand pits and electrical cords should be regularly checked to ensure they are in good condition and free of hazards. One more important thing to be considered for child’s safety is equipment and furniture provided in child care centres. When purchasing and maintaining children’s equipment, it really is essential to carefully select, install and maintain them.
To maximize child safety in child care centres, monitoring and managing safety risks within the service should be done effectively. To minimise the risk to children, all safety areas should be periodically reviewed and, where necessary, actions should be taken to reduce potential harm to children.
Three basic steps are required to be done in order to manage safety risks effectively:
- Identify the hazard –note hazards that may cause illness or injury such as faulty or damaged equipment or wiring, access to chemicals, infection, sun exposure, trip and fall hazards, and poor sight lines for supervision.
- Assess the risk –determine how dangerous the hazards are.
- Control the risk –take action to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
Safety policies and procedures are definitely important in managing safety risks to children. These should details practices that are consistent with recommendations from recognized health and safety authorities. Above all, adult supervision is something that actually serves as the key factor in providing safe environment for children. Effective supervision, along with other risk minimization strategies, can prevent or reduce the severity of injury to children in child care centres.
