This setting believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance. We make our setting a safe and healthy place for children, parents, staff and volunteers. It is important that all staff follow Health and Safety procedures. All Health and Safety issues should be monitored and maintained. By maintaining health and safety we as a school should ensure that all staff are up to date with training and should go on relevant courses as and when policies or procedures change. All policies and procedures should be available to all staff, and or supply staff so that there is a clear understand of what should happen and what shouldn’t happen, all staff should follow all these procedures. We aim to make children, parents and staff aware of health and safety issues and to minimise the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment. Our induction training for staff and volunteers includes a clear explanation of health and safety issues so that all adults are able to adhere to our policy and procedures, as they understand their shared responsibility for health and safety. The induction training covers matters of employee well being, including safe lifting and the storage of potentially dangerous substances. Records are kept of these induction training sessions and new staff and volunteers are asked to sign the records to confirm that they have taken part. Under the Health and safety at work act 1974 all employees have a responsibility for the health and safety of everyone else. There is a poster displayed in the setting outlining responsibilities. There is a health and safety policy in place which is available to staff and parents which outlines the main objectives, these objectives are implemented into the everyday running of the setting – all staff are aware of health and safety and are constantly assessing the area that they are working in or the activity they are carrying out, there are also other policies in place covering – food and drink, arrival and departure, non collection of children, nappy changing, outings, administrating medicines, missing children, safeguarding and fire procedure. These policies give a clear outline to what procedures are in place and how they are followed. They also work alongside the EYFS framework, which considers all aspects of children’s welfare including safeguarding, suitable persons, suitable premises and equipment. Many products, which are, used everyday carry the British Standards Institutions kitemark that means that they have been tested and comply with the relevant standard of safety. Some activities, especially those happening away from school, can involve higher levels of risk. If these are annual or infrequent activities, a review of an existing assessment may be all that is needed. If it is a new activity, a specific assessment of significant risks must be carried out. Headteachers should ensure that the person assigned with the assessment task understands the risks and is familiar with the activity that is planned. Where a risk assessment is carried out the employer must record the significant findings of the assessment.
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Here at Pendle vale we believe that all staff should be made aware of any and all risks and hazards. A full risk assessment is carried out termly; any issues that need addressing are then looked at and rectified. It may be possible for some issues to be rectified there and then, such as a broken toy which needs to be thrown away or cleaning material which has been left out which needs to placed back into a secure locked cupboard, Some hazards can be dealt with straight away as they arise such as removing a trip hazard or cleaning up a spillage. Other issues may need an action plan which sets out what needs to be actioned, how long this may take and by whom it should be carried out by. The action plans are then reviewed within a manageable time frame to ensure the action has been completed