Playcentre Aotearoa’s

Hazard and Risk Management Procedure

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 (Regulations 45 and 46)
Licensing Criteria for Centre-Based Education and Care Services 2008
HS12: Equipment, premises and facilities are checked on every day of operation for hazards to children.
Accident/incident records are analysed to identify hazards and appropriate action is taken. Hazards to the safety of
children are eliminated or minimised.
Documentation required: A documented risk management system.

Item Procedure Who
1.0 Daily Health & Safety Checks Procedure  
1.1 A Centre (via the person responsible on session) allocates the task of completing Daily Health and Safety Checklists (indoor and outdoor) PRIOR to the start of a session (to a person identified hereon as the “allocated member”. The allocated member may change from session to session. As per Centre process/
Person Responsible
1.2

Allocated member thoroughly checks areas as outlined on the relevant checklist (INDOOR And/or OUTDOOR) ensuring any hazards or risks are identified and eliminated or minimized.

Consideration of hazards should not be limited to those on the checklist or listed below but must include:

    • cleaning agents, medicines, poisons, and other hazardous materials;
    • electrical sockets and appliances (particularly heaters);
    • hazards present in kitchen or laundry facilities;
    • vandalism, dangerous objects, and foreign materials (e.g. broken glass, animal droppings);
    • the condition and placement of learning, play and other equipment;
    • windows and other areas of glass;
    • poisonous plants; and
    • bodies of water
  1. Hazards or risks identified should be recorded and then fixed immediately where possible

 

       If not possible to fix immediately, they should be;

    1. Cordoned off and notified to the Centre officeholder responsible for overall Centre Health & Safety OR
    2. Removed until they can be fixed OR
    3. Risks minimised via considered management of the hazard or risk.

 

  1. Temporary Centre closure – Hazards that require a Centre to close temporarily should be discussed with the Regional Office immediately (except in urgent or critical situations when the Centre will make the decision and then notify the Regional Team of the decision within a few hours of doing so) and steps taken to close the Centre. These cases may include;
    1. Non-controllable Health & Safety issues and serious urgent hazards
    2. Extreme weather conditions
    3. Interruptions to essential services (water, power, etc)
    4. Civil Defence emergencies

3. Where the Centre needs to be closed the Regional Office will contact the Ministry of Education immediately to advise of the emergency closure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allocated member

 

 

 

 

Centre to contact Regional Office – or Centre Leadership to make decision in an emergency

 

 

 

 

Centre Support Coordinator 
1.3 Completed daily checklist must be saved within the centre for at least 2 months. This could be via a photograph, scanning onto a computer, or saving the physical copies. If completed as an electronic form this should also be saved for 2 months. Allocated member
1.4 Allocated member communicates issues, flags or new hazards to Centre members (via face-to-face conversation on session, noticeboard, phone or text tree, email or social media as appropriate for the Centre and situation).
This should include;
     a) Updating the Centre Hazard and Risk Register.
     b) Notification to the Centre officeholder responsible for overall Centre Health and Safety (both resolved and unresolved). Unresolved concerns should be resolved in a timely manner. (In some cases, resolution may require contact with the Regional Office).		 Allocated member/ Centre office holder for Health & Safety
2.0 Monitoring and Advising  
2.1

Completed forms to be reviewed and summaries presented at Centre meetings to address any trends or long-term issues.
 – Daily Health and Safety Checklists

–  Minor Injury, illness, and Incident Notice, including near misses

– Serious Injury, Illness and Incident Form

 Centre office holder for Health & Safety
2.2 Regional team will also check records and documentation to ensure issues are being addressed promptly. Centre Administrator
2.3 Each Centre must have their Hazard and Risk Register on display and ensure Centre members, visitors and contractors are aware of the hazards and risks identified. Centre office holder for Health & Safety
2.4 At the beginning of each term the Centre officeholder for Health and Safety should review the Hazard and Risk register, and consider if there are any new hazards that need to be added. Where hazards have been eliminated they can be removed. This register may have a blank page for additions between termly updates of the register. Centre office holder for Health & Safety
2.5 Where there are hazards that require specific actions in order to be eliminated, these need to be recorded on the register with specifics around the timeframe for the work to be completed and who has responsibility.  
3.0 Hazardous Substances  
3.1 All hazardous substances will be stored in a secure area that is inaccessible to tamariki. All adults
3.2 Centres will complete a Hazardous substances inventory and display this near the area where the majority of the substances are stored. They will also keep a copy with their Emergency Plan.
It should be updated whenever a new hazardous substance is brought into the centre, or when the safety information changes. Review once a year to ensure it is up to date.		 Centre office holder for Health & Safety
3.3 Information on precautions to take when using hazardous substances in the centre, and any emergency information, including the Poisons Helpline will be prominently displayed on or near the substances. See Resource #4 below for templates and information on hazardous substances. Centre office holder for Health & Safety

RESOURCES
1. Notifiable Injury/ Incidents: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2015/0070/52.0/DLM5976868.html
2. Infectious Diseases for Criterion 26: https://www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/licensing-and- regulations/the-regulatory-framework-for-ece/licensing-criteria/centre-based-ece-services/appendix-2- infectious-diseases-for-criterion-hs26/
3. Notifiable diseases (general): https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/notifiable- diseases
4. Worksafe Hazardous Substances Toolbox https://www.hazardoussubstances.govt.nz/
5. Playcentre Aotearoa’s Minor Injury, Illness, Incident Notice
6. Playcentre Aotearoa’s Serious Injury, Illness, Incident Form
7. Playcentre Aotearoa’s Daily Health and Safety Checklists
8. Playcentre Aotearoa’s Notifable Events Sign

REFERENCES
Playcentre Aotearoa’s Hazard and Risk Register
Playcentre Aotearoa’s Injury, Illness and Incident Procedure

Playcentre Aotearoa Emergency Procedures
Playcentre Aotearoa’s Child Washdown Procedure Playcentre Aotearoa’s Sick Child Isolation Procedure
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008
Licensing Criteria for Centre Based Education and Care Services 2008
Nga Kupu Oranga: Healthy Messages – a health and safety resource for early childhood services