Safeguarding and Welfare Requirement: Health

St. Mark’s Pre-school keeps a written record of accidents or injuries and first aid treatment

6.3 RECORDING AND REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS

(Including the procedure for reporting accidents and incidents to the HSE under RIDDOR requirements)

POLICY STATEMENT

We follow the guidelines of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) for the reporting of accidents and incidents.  Child protection matters or behavioural incidents between children are NOT regarded as incidents and there are separate procedures for this

 

PROCEDURES

Our accident book:

  • Is kept in a safe and secure place;
  • Is accessible to all staff and volunteers, who know how to complete it; and
  • Is reviewed at least half-termly to identify any potential or actual hazards
  • Is retained and destroyed as per compliance guidance under the GDPR (2018) for the required retention period

Reporting accidents and incidents:

Ofsted is notified as soon as possible, but at least within 14 days, of any instances which involve:

  • Food poisoning affecting two or more children looked after on our premises;
  • A serious accident or injury to, or serious illness or, a child in our care and the action we take in response; and
  • The death of a child in our care.

 

Local child protection agencies are informed of any serious accident or injury to a child, or the death of any child, while in our care and we act on any advice given by those agencies.

Any food poisoning affecting two or more children or adults on our premises is reported to the local Environmental Health Department.

We meet our legal requirements in respect of the safety of our employees and the public by complying with RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). We report to the Health and Safety Executive:

  • Any work-related accident leading to an injury to a child or adult, for which they are taken to hospital;
  • Any work-related injury to a member of staff, which results in them being unable to work for seven consecutive days;
  • When a member of staff suffers a reportable work-related disease or illness;
  • Any death, of a child or adult; that occurs in connection with activities relating to our work; and
  • Any dangerous occurrences.  This may be an event that causes injury or fatalities or an event that does not cause an accident, but could have done; such as a gas leak.

 

Information for reporting incidents to the Health and Safety Executive is provided in the Pre-school Learning Alliance’s Accident Record publication. Any dangerous occurrence is recorded in our incident book (see below).

Our incident book:

  • We have ready access to telephone numbers for emergency services, including local police.  Where we are responsible for the premises we have contact numbers for gas and electricity emergency services, carpenter and plumber.  Where we rent premises we ensure we have access to the person responsible and that there is a shared procedure for dealing with emergencies.
  • We keep an incident book for recording incidents including those that are reportable to the Health and Safety Executive as above.
  • These incidents include:
  • Break in, burglary, theft of personal or the settings property;
  • an intruder gaining unauthorised access to the premises;
  • fire, flood, gas leak or electrical failure;
  • attack on member of staff or parent on the premises or nearby;
  • any racist incident involving staff or family on the centre’s premises;
  • a notifiable disease or illness, or an outbreak of food poisoning affecting two or more children looked after on the premises
  • the death of a child or adult, and
  • a terrorist attack, or threat of one.
  • In the incident book we record the date and time of the incident, nature of the event, who was affected, what was done about it or if it was reported to the police, and if so a crime number. Any follow up, or insurance claim made, should also be recorded.
  • In the unlikely event of a terrorist attack we follow the advice of the emergency services with regard to evacuation, medical aid and contacting children’s families.  Our standard Fire Safety and emergency Evacuation Policy will be followed and staff will take charge of their key children. The incident is recorded when the threat is averted.
  • In the unlikely event of a child dying on the premises, for example, through cot death in the case of a baby, or any other means involving an older child, the emergency services are called, and the advice of these services is followed.
  • The incident book is not for recording issues of concern involving a child. This is recorded in the child’s own file.
  • Follow up team meeting and review of the risk assessment. 

 

Legal Framework

  • Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 (As Amended)

Further Guidance

  • RIDDOR Guidance and Reporting Form: www.hse.gov.uk/riddor

 

Other useful publications can be found on the Early Years Alliance website

 

This policy and the provisions practices will be reviewed periodically and kept up-to-date in accordance with any changes in legislation.

This policy was adopted at a meeting of Little Birds Pre-school committee on: 21.01.2014

Reviewed and agreed: 27/04/2018

Reviewed and agreed: 25/03/2021