Daily Safety Check Of Outside Area?

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

 

I am expecting the big "O" any day now and had an early year adviser to see me on Friday with some helpful tips.

She said that I should be checking the outside area for safety every day, which I do anyway, but should be recording it as evidence. She suggested making a "Safety Sweep" grid for the week, which I have done and have attatched.

Could you please have a look and see what else I might have forgotten!!

Many thanks.

Jane

 

Yr_R_Safety_Sweep.doc

[Guest]

Some safety issues will be dependent on time of year, ie Ice, sufficient shade. wet surfaces re slipping? Would broken glass come under litter?

Health (not safet) Suitable clothing?

Maybe have Misc other hazard noted.

It could go on and on I suppose, one hazard we had once was a bee's nest appeared overnight in a nearby willow tree.

Resources, checks for breakages/sharp edges etc.

 

Like you say, we are professionals with common sense, and do this task automatically, so why it can't just be logged with a signature saying health and safety check completed, I don't know.

 

You might earn brownie points if the children are given responsibility to do the check , have outdoor monitor/s for each day.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Hi JaneBeth

what about adding 'water' - is there somewhere rainfall may have created an unexpected pool of water - which would then be classed as a drowning hazard

 

I agree with Peggy - you would as a responsible adult (and professional) remove any hazard prior to children playing - why the need for all this ridiculous additional paperwork and checklists for everything? I am beginning to wonder whether bureaucracy/society has finally gone mad - but that's another issue...

 

Hope the big 'O' goes well when it finally does arrive.

Keep us posted.

[Cait]

You might earn brownie points if the children are given responsibility to do the check

Peggy

 

 

It depends on what your outdoor area is like (and what your inspector it like ) - You'd lose 'brownie points' if you have things like needles regularly discarded in the grounds.

 

Having said that, I had a 'monitor' who was assigned each week to check that the gate was shut before we went outside. Not the gate off the premises, I hasten to add, just the side gate.

 

I always encourage the children to tell me if they find something dodgy - digging last year unearthed some cat poo for instance.

 

I do a 'visual sweep' every morning for litter etc. and check again as I'm putting equipment out. We just have a generic ticklist which states that the outdoor area has been checked as safe

[dottyp]

We were advised by ofsted on their last visit (Jan 08) that we should be recording a risk assessment so we devised the attached form. Members of staff obviously check all areas both inside and out on a daily basis but we record it on a weekly

basis. We find it a quick and easy way of recording our risk assessment and shows a working document.

 

hope it's of use....

 

dottyp

RISK_ASSESSMENT.doc

[Guest]

Many thanks for all your comments.

I agree, as if we don't have enough to do!! Paperwork for paperworks sake!!! But if the big "O" want it, it shall be done!

 

Jane x

Edited October 18, 2009 by Guest