At Tots and Time Out and Bright Beginnings we aim to protect children at all times. We recognise

that accidents or incidents may sometimes occur. We follow this policy and procedure to ensure all

parties are supported and cared for when accidents or incidents happen; and that the circumstances

of the accident or incident are reviewed with a view to minimising any future risks.

 

Accidents

Location of accident files: Tots – Reception, Bright Beginnings - Office

 

 The person responsible for reporting accidents, incidents or near misses is the member of

staff who saw the incident or was first to find the child where there are no witnesses. They

must record it on an Accident Form and report it to the nursery manager. Other staff who

have witnessed the accident may also countersign the form and, in more serious cases,

provide a statement. This should be done as soon as the accident is dealt with, whilst the

details are still clearly remembered. Parents must be shown the Accident Report, informed

of any first aid treatment given and asked to sign it on the same day, or as soon as

reasonably practicable after

•  The nursery manager reviews the accident forms at least monthly/ for patterns, e.g. one

child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in the nursery or a particular

time of the day when most accidents happen. Any patterns will be investigated by the

nursery manager and all necessary steps to reduce risks are put in place

• The nursery manager will report serious accidents to the registered person for investigation

for further action to be taken (i.e. a full risk assessment or report under Reporting of

Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR))

• The Accident File will be kept for at least 21 years and three months

•  Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the parent(s) as

soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately

• The nursery manager/registered provider will report any accidents of a serious nature to

Ofsted and the local authority children’s social care team (as the local child protection

agency), where necessary. Where relevant such accidents will also be reported to the local

authority environmental health department or the Health and Safety Executive and their

advice followed. Notification must be made as soon as is reasonably practical, but in any

event within 14 days of the incident occurring.

 

Organisation Contact

Ofsted 03001231231

Local authority children’s social care team 01323 747373

 

Local authority environmental health

department

 

0345 608 0190

 

Health and Safety Executive 0151 9514000

 

RIDDOR report form http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm

 

Head injuries

If a child has a head injury in the setting then we will follow the following procedure:

•  Calm the child

•  Assess the child’s condition to ascertain if a hospital or ambulance is required.

• We will follow our procedure for this if this is required (see below)

• If the skin is not broken we will administer a cold compress for short periods of

time, repeated until the parent arrives to collect their child

• If the skin is broken then we will follow our first aid training and stem the

bleeding

•  Call the parent and make them aware of the injury

•  Complete the Head Injury Form

•  Keep the child in a calm and quiet area whilst awaiting collection

•  We will follow the advice on the NHS website as per all head injuries

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/minor-head-injury/

•  For major head injuries we will follow our first aid training.

 

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The nursery manager/staff member must:

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the injury is severe. DO NOT attempt to transport the

sick child in your own vehicle

• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at the

hospital

•  Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child taking with them

any relevant information such as the completed accident form (where possible), registration

forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter

• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the

remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together

• Inform a member of the management team immediately

• Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and

may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support

following the accident.

 

First aid

The first aid boxes are located in: Tots – Reception, Bright Beginnings – Kitchen

 

These are accessible at all times with appropriate content for use with children.

 

The appointed person responsible for first aid checks the contents of the boxes regularly and

replaces items that have been used or are out of date.

 

First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations

Act 1981, such as sterile dressings, bandages and eye pads. No other medical items, such as

paracetamol should be kept in them.

 

All most of the staff are trained in paediatric first aid and this training is updated every three years.

 

Food Safety and play

Children are supervised during meal times and food is adequately cut up to reduce choking. The use

of food as a play material is discouraged. However, as we understand that learning experiences are

provided through exploring different malleable materials the following may be used. These are risk

assessed and presented differently to the way it would be presented for eating e.g. in trays,

1.  Playdough

2.  Cornflour

3.  Dried pasta, rice and pulses.

4. Baked Beans

Food items may also be incorporated into the role play area to enrich the learning experiences for

children, e.g. Fruits and Vegetables. Children will be supervised during these activities.

 

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The nursery provides staff with PPE according to the need of the task or activity. Staff must wear PPE

to protect themselves and the children during tasks that involve contact with bodily fluids. PPE is

also provided for domestic tasks. Staff are consulted when choosing PPE to ensure all allergies and

individual needs are supported and this is evaluated on an ongoing basis.

 

Dealing with blood

We may not be aware that any child attending the nursery has a condition that may be transmitted

via blood. Any staff member dealing with blood must:

•  Always take precautions when cleaning wounds as some conditions such as hepatitis or the

HIV virus can be transmitted via blood.

• Wear disposable gloves and wipe up any blood spillage with disposable cloths, neat

sterilising fluid or freshly diluted bleach (one part diluted with 10 parts water). Such

solutions must be carefully disposed of immediately after use.

 

Needle punctures and sharps injury

We recognise that injuries from needles, broken glass and so on may result in blood-borne infections

and that staff must take great care in the collection and disposal of this type of material. For the

safety and well-being of the employees, any staff member dealing with needles, broken glass etc.

must treat them as contaminated waste. If a needle is found the local authority must be contacted

to deal with its disposal.

 

At Tots and Time Out and Bright Beginnings we treat our responsibilities and obligations in respect

of health and safety as a priority and we provide ongoing training to all members of staff which

reflects best practice and is in line with current health and safety legislation.

 

This policy was adopted on Signed on behalf of the nursery Date for review June 2021