Guest Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Does anyone have a checklist of Risk Assessments they'd be prepared to post? I sometimes feel there's a new one suggested on every document I look at, and it would be reassuring to know how many others do. It's so easy to go overboard, but obviously I want to do my job well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 You've seen the Risk Assessment article have you Weightman? It has a short list of things to bear in mind, but not a comprehensive one. You can find it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Ooh yes, I'd seen it before Steve, but I'd forgotten it was there. Well worth revisiting - thank you! I think I'm just having one of those panicky sort of moments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 We are going to have to re think our risk assessment of our climbing frame after one of our little girls fell off and broke her wrist in two places today! I really don't know how it happened, and I know these things do, but we are going to have to have a serious talk with children and staff about safety on there. I have to say this is the first broken bone in the sixteen years I have run the pre-school and I hope it is the last! Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Linda, I really feel for you! However many people tell you it could happen anywhere to anyone, this must have been a horrible event. Chin up - we all know how much of your time, experience and energy you put into your nursery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 You have my every sympathy too, Linda. We had possibly our worst-ever accident the other day, involving damaged teeth, lips and chin. It invlolved a piece of equipment that I would never have thought of as hazardous, and 5 adults were with less than 10 children. We still all felt terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Linda and weightman, I really feel for you too. In twenty years I've only ever had 1 accident requiring hospital treatment, a knock close to the eye, on the edge of a rounded table, requiring 3 stitches ( and then the child wanted to come back to preschool straight from the hospital to "show off" his stitches) I had to persaud him that mum really needed to take him home and give him a big long cuddle. I felt awful because parents arrived at the hospital just as I was helping the doctor and nurse hold him steady while he was stitched up. When mum arrived I asked her over to help calm and hold him down, but she declined and asked me to carry on, then dad was waiting in the corridor in floods of tears. All was well in the end but something I shall never forget ( happened about 15 yrs ago) I've not used my 1st aid box in the 5 yrs I've been open in my own preschool. Yes, you do need to look at safe use of the climbing frame, or what furniture is hazardous or not, but at the end of the day, no written risk assessment can stop every accident. But you both reduced the consequance of the accident, ie: the climbing frame had a safety mat which must have reduced injury, and both of you had 1st aid administered by qualified staff, which must have helped the children concerned. I have risk assessments done for each "PLay Zone" in the setting, including outdoors. I have them for outings, visitors and arrivals and departures. I also have done them for individual children, ie: we currently have a child who will open every door, including the store cupbaord, unused rooms etc we have had to put an alarm on each door ( which when sounded stops him in his tracks) however today he opened the fire exit by pushing the bar and ran out the building I now need to find out if I can put a chain on a fire door or look at other ways of stopping him because I can't obviously block the fire exit. I also do risk assessment on individual staff. No not that my staff are a risk , one staff has a weak back, so additional consideration for her when furniture needs moving. As Steve says, Chin up and Linda, change your planning for next week, no doubt the little girl will want lots of paint and markers available to decorate her plaster. How have the parents coped with their child getting hurt? I hope they are understanding. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Thanks for your reassurances-it is silly to worry too much because we all know it can happen to any one of us at any time. And, no matter how vigilant you are, these things happen. Doesn't stop you from feeling bad though does it? Fortunately mum was fine-this little girl is the second of three and mum was at the hospital only a couple of weeks ago with the youngset who had fallen off the bed. As she said, when you have children you have to expect accidents. She won't be back in pre-school until next week when, no doubt, she will be the centre of attention. We had a talk with the children this morning about being sensible on the climbing frame. Fat lot of use that was when we found one of the boys trying to push a child off the top of it! This is only the third accident in 16 years where we have had to send a child to hospital, two for stitches and this first broken bone. We have reviewed our risk asessment this morning and will make some adjustments but at the end of the day, as you say Peggy, no amount of paperwork will prevent accidents! Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I'm really glad to hear Mum was understanding, the last thing we need in these situations is an over dramatic parent I have a problem every summer when parents send their children in wearing flip flops or what I call "flappy" sandels. They are a nightmare, especially on the climbing frame. The children also trip all over the place, including over their own feet. I'd love to let the children run around with no shoes, but this has it's hazards, especially as the other users of the group insist on using drawing pins instead of blue tack. A few years ago we were constantly telling a little girl to put her shoes back on, she only learnt her lesson after standing on a drawing pin OUCH, but If I'm honest I really had to try hard not to say " I told you so" Like your boys today on the climbing frame, in some sense they need to learn how to assess risk themselves to be able to be safe as they get older with less adult supervision. It is a hard balance to achieve though. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 My worst moment happened recently when the a child whose hand I was holding as we walked along tripped and her shoulder dislocated. It was something that had happened on several occasions and her parents were brilliant, but I can honestly say that I had several sleepless nights over it even though everyone accepted that it was an entirely inocent incident. I now make sure that I only ever hold her left hand ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Peggy, i just read what you said about your fire door. At our nursery our fire door has the normal bar to push down but at the top we also have a yale lock, out of the reach of the children, it might be worthlooking into getting something similar, but maybe you should just double check with your fire officer, ours said it was fine. Linda, really sorry to hear about the accident, i haven't had many experiances of 'bad' accidents but then had 2 in the space of about 2 months, 1 needing stitches, and one dislocated elbow - ouch!!!! I know how youfeel its veryeasy to feel guilty/responsible but likeeveryone else said accidents do happen its as simlpe as that and there is only so much we can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 thanks for that rapunzel, I'll look into it peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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