Childrens Safety in the Education & Childcare Industries

Whether you are a parent or not most people would I’m sure agree that a child’s safety is paramount. This article looks at what our childcare providers can do to help make sure the risk or chance of an accident occurring in Schools, Nurseries, Kindergartens and Day Care Centres is reduced.

Before we look at what steps childcare providers can actually take to reduce exposure to risk we should first perhaps look at what risk actually is. Risk can be defined as a hazard, a source of danger, the possibility of incurring a loss or misfortune or put another way an accident waiting to happen.

So what can Nurseries, Schools and other childcare providers actually do then to manage risk and make sure our children’s safety is always at the forefront of their minds?

Well to begin with they can carry out a risk assessment at their premises and this is perhaps best organized, arranged and co-coordinated by the person who is ultimately responsible for the health and safety at the nursery or school.

And whilst the actually risk assessment doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated it can be time consuming as it involves looking at each area of the premises and noting any potential hazards or risks. It also should involve looking at the existing safety measures in place and make recommendations on how implementing additional safety measures could reduce these risks even further.

The fact is accidents do happen in nurseries, schools and in all types of business but by following some simple checks the chances of an accident happening can be reduced. And as the owner, manger or person responsible for health and safety has a duty of care to employees, children, visitors or indeed anyone visiting the premises risk assessment and ultimately risk reduction is vital.

Here are just a few areas that nurseries, schools and other childcare providers should be looking at to firstly see if a risk exists and then to put preventative measures in place to reduce it.

Trips, slips and falls – do you have leads trailing across the floor or any other obstructions? Are there any spillages of water or any other liquids? And if so what steps are there to address these once they occur and to warn others? Are there any loose rugs, mats, carpets or other flooring including floorboards or tiles? Is the lighting within the school or nursery adequate (especially on stairs and in cellars or basements)?

First Aid and Accidents – do you have suitable first aid equipment on the premises? Do you have employees with first aid training? Do you have systems in place to deal with accidents including transport arrangement to the hospital if deemed necessary?

Safety of Personnel – are staff likely to work alone or handle cash? Do they have a facility to summon assistance and raise an alarm?

Outside Areas – will your outside play areas be adequately supervised? Has the play equipment you provide been suitably tested and is suitable for the children using it? Will the children be playing near plants that could be poisonous? Do you have systems in place to prevent or deal with sunburn and insect bites and stings?

These are just a few examples of potential risks that may exist within a nursery, school, kindergarten or other child day care facility. If you make sure you carry out a risk assessment with the intention of reducing your exposure to risk not only can you make sure your employees and children are protected but you could also see a reduction in your nursery insurance, school insurance or other business insurance premiums. This is because many insurance providers reward providers of child care facilities with discounts and premium savings who have good risk management procedures.

There really is no excuse for modern nurseries, schools and kindergartens to fail to make sure their premises is as safe as possible so make sure you do your best to protect the children in your care – failing to do so really isn’t worth the risk.

Why Scaffolders and Roofers Are Most At Risk

The latest figures released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) show a slight increase in the number of workers fatally injured from 2005/06 to 2006/07. This article looks at why workers in the scaffolding and roofing industries are seemingly most at risk and what they can do to help reduce risk.

The Heath & Safety Executive (HSE) has just announced the provisional figures for worker fatalities in 2006/07 is 241 with workers in the agricultural and construction industries having the highest rates of fatal injury. In fact agricultural and construction workers accounted for 46% of all fatal injuries.

And scaffolders and roofers would seemingly be most at risk as falling from height accidents continue to be the most common type of accident, accounting for 19% of all fatal injuries in 2006/07.

So with such numbers of fatal injuries in addition to the hundreds and thousands of everyday accidents by people working at height here are just a few tips to help you reduce your exposure to risk and the likelihood of an accident occurring:

Plan ahead

As with most things careful planning is often the key to a job being done well. And when it comes to working at height this is even more important if the figures shown above are anything to go by. Someone once said if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Unfortunately for people working at height not taking the time to plan your work could result in not just failure but injury and death. Therefore when planning to work at height make sure the equipment you use is suitable for the job and the people assembling and using the equipment are trained and competent to do so.

Use the right equipment

When it comes to deciding on the best equipment for the job it is also important to remember not to try and save time by just using a ladder when for example scaffolding should be used. Ladders and stepladders are likely to be the most misused pieces of equipment for people working at height and as with any equipment you need to make sure that anyone using them have been trained and are competent using them.

And remember if the use of a ladder is appropriate then you should ensure it is in good condition, it placed on level and firm ground, it is secure and it is of the correct type (the HSE recommend class 1 industrial or EN131).

If you follow these simple yet highly effective tips then your chances of accidents and injuries should be greatly reduced. And the good news for scaffolding firms and roofers is that not only will this reduce your exposure to risk but it also could reduce your insurance premiums.

Scaffolding Insurance and Roofing Insurance often incur higher than normal premiums due to the fact that many of the accidents that happen are more serious than with other professions.

Therefore make sure you follow good health and safety procedures and make sure the only thing that falls are your Scaffolders Insurance and Roofers Insurance premiums.

Is it worth risking it all for cheap insurance?

Picture the scene, you wake up early one morning with the sound of the wind blowing and rainfall bashing against you bedroom window. You ease yourself out of bed, walk down your stairs and are faced with your home under 6 feet of flood water.

And so begins the long and distressing process of recovering from flood damage. And imagine your shock and horror when you call your insurance company only to be told you don’t have the cover you thought and your claim is rejected!

This horrific scenario whilst uncommon could well be on the increase as home and business owners seek the cheapest possible insurance premiums without first looking into the cover they actually provide.

Mark Burdett, Marketing Manager of Gateshead based Northern Counties Insurance Brokers had this to say, “The recent flooding many parts of the UK has seen is likely to have an adverse affect on insurance premiums with insurance companies like Norwich Union already announcing price increases. One of the problems with increased insurance premiums is that people will naturally look to cut costs by shopping around for the best deal. The potential downside to this is that they then opt for the cheapest premium quoted without actually looking into the cover it provides. And unfortunately this could well result in cover not being in place which may only come to light when a loss occurs and they find out they aren’t covered.”

So with flood claims seemingly on the increase for many home and business owners, Mark suggests people when looking to buy home or business insurance make sure they:


1. Get the cover actually required. For home owners this could mean accidental damage whilst for business owners’ business interruption could be more beneficial. Many of these types of cover are often sold as optional extras so don’t just be tempted with the lowest premium without understanding what it does (and perhaps more importantly) what it doesn’t cover you for.


2. Know what excess they will have to pay in the event of a loss occurring. One of the ways insurance companies can quote lower premiums is by increasing policy excesses. Make sure your policy has an excess you can afford.


3. Ask for advice and help if in any doubt. Insurance Brokers are a great source for this as they can use their experience to find you the right cover, at the right price whilst making sure you, your home and your business are protected


As a victim of flood damage in the past himself, Mark summed up the risks involved in buying the cheapest insurance possible, “Many people see insurance as a grudge purchase and one which only produces a benefit when a claim needs to be made. I was lucky enough to have the right insurance cover in place when my home was flooded and I would urge anyone looking to cut costs on their insurance to make sure they know the potential consequences of buying the cheapest policy.”

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