Workplace Health and Safety Policy

1. Policy Statement
Sparkling Stars Childcare Centre is committed to protecting the health and safety of
children, staff, parents and visitors to the centre by keeping everyone informed about
the Work Health and Safety Act and ensuring appropriate codes of practice are
followed at the centre.

2. Considerations
These will vary from state to state and will be dependent upon current
Legislation
▪ Philosophy – caring role-need for safe and healthy environment.
▪ Legislation – Current state/territory regulations:
o Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations
o Health Act and supporting Regulations
o Public Health Act and Regulations
o National Quality Framework (NQF) and the National Quality
Standards (NQS)
o Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations
o Workers Compensation & Rehabilitation Act.
o Food Acts and Regulations
o Pest Management Act
▪ Children’s needs – Safe and healthy environment in which to play and learn.
▪ Parents’ needs – Reassurance that health and safety standards are
maintained at the centre and their children are safe.
▪ Staff needs – A safe and healthy workplace; clear guidelines
about their responsibilities under WHS Act.
▪ Management needs – Clear guidelines about their responsibilities under
WHS Act; employees co-operation in following health and safety
instructions.

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How Policy will be implemented
(Specific Policies and Procedures)
Workplace Health and Safety policy and procedure handbook concerning the
Safety and Health of the occupants and users of the centre will be produced and
followed.

Information about the Work Health and Safety Act, Regulations, Codes of practice
and guidelines are held on the Intranet at the centre and may be read by staff,
committee and parents of children attending the centre.
Employee and Employer responsibilities for Workplace Health and Safety are
included on the intranet. These responsibilities are highlighted to new staff and
committee members as part of their induction.

1. Early Years Learning Centre Employer(s)

Employers, including the nominated supervisor, the centre itself, or any
partnership, provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and
free of risks to health, so far as is reasonably practicable. They also give
employees the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision to
enable them to do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health
(including volunteers, visitors, parents, and children).
A training program is organised every 12 months to ensure staff and
committee members can identify:
▪ Key elements of the WHS Act
▪ The centre’s health and safety procedures and policies
▪ Safe and healthy workplace practices
▪ How to recognise and report hazards
▪ How to have a say in safe work practices and procedures.
The management will ensure that health and safety practices followed in the centre
comply with Health Regulations, Education and Care Services National Law and
Regulations, relevant industry Standards and the Work Health and Safety Act
(2011) and will allocate sufficient resources in the annual budget to ensure a
healthy and safe environment.

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Other responsibilities and duties:
▪ The management will ensure that appropriate workers
compensation cover is available to all employees of the service, and
that employees understand the importance of reporting injuries or
illness, which occurs during the course of their work. Employees will
also be informed about the time deadlines for completing workers
compensation forms.
▪ The management will ensure that injured employees are provided
with appropriate rehabilitation and health care services and that a
flexible rehabilitation program is implemented in the centre.

2. Early Years Learning Centre Employees

Employees must take reasonable care for their health and safety in the
workplace. They must also take reasonable care for the health and safety of
others who may be affected by what they do or don’t do. Employees should
also cooperate with their employer about any action they take to comply with
the relevant WHS Act or Regulations.
Other responsibilities and duties:
▪ Employees will be encouraged to report incidents leading to high
stress levels and positive steps will be taken to understand and
minimise stress suffered by individual staff members.
▪ Employees will also check all play areas and equipment regularly
to ensure they are in a clean and safe condition. Any equipment
and/or area that is not clean and in a safe condition is to be
notified to the “Safety Officer” by all staff to ensure it is made safe.
▪ Employees will record all injuries or illness (to children and adults)
in the centre’s Accident/Illness record. Details entered will include:
date, time, place of incident, injury or condition, brief description of
events, adult witnesses, any anticipated treatment or outcome. (See
Policy on Health for Accident/Illness Record Form) within an
accepted time frame. Notification, will be forwarded to Director of
any injury /illness and subsequent leave needed.
▪ Employees will record all incidents with the potential to cause injury
or illness in the centre’s Damage Report book.

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3. Workplace Health and Safety Officers
The Workplace Health and Safety Officers (WHSO) will be nominated from
and by the staff at the centre. This Safety Officer will be responsible and
investigate all reports of breaches of the Health and Safety policies of the
centre.
They have significant influence over the nominated supervisor. They exercise
due diligence to ensure that the centre meets its health and safety
obligations. Duties include carrying out inspections and investigations,
conducting educational programs about health and safety, coordinating the
annual workplace assessment and leading the health and safety committee.
Workplace Health and Safety inspections will be conducted every year. To
ensure the health and safety of all adults and children within the care centre,
annual risk assessments are evaluated.

4. Health and Safety Representatives

The health and safety representative (HSR) are early childhood educators
who are elected to represent a defined workgroup. The representatives
represent workers on health and safety matters and investigate complaints
from educators about health and safety issues. The HSR is also entitled to
carry out inspections and review the circumstances of workplace incidents.

5. Hazard Identification and Risk Management

a. Hazard Identification
The employer, employee, and other relevant personnel of an Early Years Learning
Centre must regularly walk around the workplace and observe how things are
done to help predict what could or might go wrong. This also includes looking at
how people actually work, how plant and equipment are used, what chemicals are
around and what they are used for, what safe or unsafe work practices exist as
well as the general state of housekeeping.
In inspecting the centre, the following questions should be kept in mind:
▪ Does the work environment enable the workers of the centre and
children to carry out work without risks to health and safety (for
example, space for unobstructed movement, no open cables near
children’s workplace, adequate lighting in the rooms)?
▪ How is work performed, including the physical, mental, and emotional
demands of the tasks and activities?

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 ▪ How suitable are the tools and equipment for the task and how well are
they maintained
▪ Are there any illnesses and infections prevalent in the local area?
▪ Is the food safety plan of the centre safe for children?
▪ Have any changes occurred in the centre which may affect health and
safety?
A hazard identification form should then be created. This list can be kept and
updated next inspection. A checklist can be used to help identify and make note of
hazards.
b. Risk Assessment
The employer must assess the risk that someone may be harmed by that
hazard. It is the overall process of estimating the extent of risk and deciding
whether a risk is tolerable.
A risk assessment assists in determining:
▪ How severe a risk is
▪ Whether existing control measures are effective
▪ What action should be taken to control a risk
▪ How urgently action needs to be taken.
A risk assessment should include:
▪ Identify factors that may contribute to the risk.
▪ Evaluation of how a hazard may cause harm. This includes examining
how work is completed, whether existing control measures are in place
and whether they control the harm, looking at infrequent/abnormal
situations as well as standard operating situations. A chain of events
related to a risk may need to be considered.
▪ Determining the likelihood of harm occurring. The level of risk will
increase as the likelihood of harm and its severity increases.
▪ Evaluate of how severe the harm could be. This includes looking at the
types of injuries/illnesses/harm/damage that can result from the
hazard, the number of people exposed, and possible chain effects from
exposure to this hazard.
▪ Identify the actions necessary to eliminate or control the risk.
(Western Sydney University n.d.)

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c. Control the Risk
Where practical the employer should eliminate risks, however, if this is not
reasonable practical, an employer should implement controls to minimise the risk
to the fullest extend possible.
The risk control process must be carried out in consultation with the relevant
employees.
Note: If there is an immediate risk to health or safety, ensure that the
process/activity in question is ceased until measures are taken to remove the
immediate risk.
Once a decision is taken on the suitable risk control measures, a plan should be
developed in consultation with the relevant employees for the implementation of
those measures. The implementation plan should identify
▪ The actions required
▪ Implementation timetable; and
▪ Who is responsible for the implementation of the actions.
(PrestonHire 2018)
The hierarchy of control
The hierarchy of control is a list of control measures, in order of priority, which
can be used to eliminate or minimise exposure to a hazard or risk.

Elimination
(Physically remove the hazard)

Substitution
(Replace the hazard)

Engineer Controls
(Physical change in the workplace)

Administrative Controls
(Change the way people
work)

PPE
(Personal Protective
Equipment)

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Eliminate-
The most effective method for controlling risk is to eliminate the hazard, so try this
approach first.
Example: An staff member tripped over an electric cord leading to an old wall-
mounted fan. On inspection, the employer realised that the fan was broken and not
needed since air-conditioning was put in a year ago, so the fan and its cord were
removed.

Substitute
Replace one substance or activity with a less hazardous one.
Example: A staff member in toddlers room reported headaches after using bleach to
clean the toilets. The management obtained information about alternative products
(including their material safety data sheets), and decided to trial two different
cleaning products. One of these did the job just as effectively and generated no
strong fumes. Staff reported no incidence of headaches after its use

Isolate
If equipment or materials cannot be changed or substituted to make them safer it
may be possible to separate them from people, either by moving them away or by
installing a barrier to prevent people from coming into contact with them.
Example: In one section of the playground the artificial grass had lifted and was a
trip hazard. This area of the playground a barrier was put up to block off this area
until the artificial grass can be fixed.

Engineering Controls-
If a hazard can’t be isolated, perhaps redesign the surroundings to minimise risks.
This may involve redesigning the workplace, providing increased ventilation or
lighting or finding engineering solutions to make plant and equipment safer.
Example: One staff member has injured her back when lifting a toddler onto th e
nappy change bench. A set of step could be installed so the children can walk up the
step themselves (this would be aided by the staff member by holding hands).

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Administrative Controls
Training and information signs, while very important, are a low order level of
control. Information, instruction and training should only be used to control risks
when it is not practicable to control the risk by altering the workplace, the systems
of work or the objects used in the tasks, or by providing mechanical aids.
Example: Manual handling training should help employees to understand what sort
of manual handling is hazardous, how this may affect the body and how injuries can
be prevented. Training should include information regarding the measures in place
to control the risk, how to select appropriate manual handling techniques and how
to use mechanical aids.

PPE
If no other measures will totally solve the problem, consider whether PPE (including
clothing and footwear) could help reduce the risk. Because PPE focuses on the
person rather than the hazard, it should not be relied on solely and should be used
in conjunction with other measures.
Example: Using gloves when cleaning/changing/handling soiled clothing.

d. Monitor and Review Risk Controls

As risks can change, all control measures should be regularly reviewed to ensure
they remain effective. Hazard identification and control is a continuous process.
Constant monitoring of hazard controls will need to be done to ensure compliance.
Ongoing training of staff may be required when work systems change or new
equipment purchased.
Staff and employers should be asked the following:
▪ Did it work? Did the risk control address the identified hazard and
likelihood of it occurring?
▪ Did it create another hazard? The risk control may have addressed the
initial hazard but did it create another one?

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6. Emergency Procedure
Emergency procedures are developed for a range of critical incidents including fire,
explosion, chemical release, violence or dangerous weather conditions.
In particular, you will be given the centre’s emergency procedures for:
▪ Fire (including Bushfires/ Grass Fires)
▪ Severe Weather/Storms and Flooding
▪ Pandemic
▪ Bomb/Chemical Threat
▪ Major External and Internal Emission/Spill (includes gas leaks and
cleaners storeroom)
▪ Earthquake
▪ Medical Emergency
a. Fire
▪ Report the outbreak of fire immediately to the Incident Controller (Chief
Warden).
▪ Remain calm and activate the fire alarm.
▪ Notify the fire brigade.
▪ Extinguish the fire (only if safe to do so).
▪ If threat exists evacuate the room/s to the indicated assembly points,
closing all doors and windows.
▪ Check that all areas have been cleared and notify the Incident Controller.
▪ Check children, staff, visitors and contractors are accounted for.
▪ Direct all media enquiries to the DEECDs Media Unit
b. Bushfires/Grass Fires
▪ Identify which buildings need to be evacuated in the case of a fire.
▪ Notify the Fire Brigade.
▪ If threat exists decide appropriate action e.g. move to shelter-in-place or
evacuate the room/s, closing all doors and windows.
▪ Turn off power and gas.

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 ▪ Check that all children, staff and visitors (including contractors) are
accounted for.
▪ Listen to local radio or TV on battery-powered sets for bushfire/weather
warnings and advice.
▪ Ensure staff/children do not hinder Emergency Services or put
themselves at risk by going near damaged buildings or trees.
▪ Contact the region for advice and support, as appropriate.
c. Severe Weather/Storms and Flooding
▪ Store or secure loose items external to the building, such as outdoor
furniture.
▪ Secure windows (close curtains & blinds) and external doors. If necessary,
tape windows and glass entrances. Utilise boards and sandbags if
required.
▪ Protect valuables and disconnect electrical equipment – cover and/or
move this equipment away from windows.
▪ During a severe storm, remain in the building and keep away from
windows. Restrict the use of telephone landlines to emergency calls only.
▪ After storm passes, evaluate the need to evacuate if uncontrolled fires, gas
leaks, or structural damage has occurred as a result of the storm.
▪ Report to the Incident Controller (Chief Warden) regarding the status of
children, staff and visitors safety.
▪ Direct all media enquiries to the DEECDs Media Unit

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d. Pandemic
▪ Ensure basic hygiene measures are in place including the display of
hygiene information.
▪ Provide convenient access to water and liquid soap and/or alcohol-based
sanitiser.
▪ Educate staff and children about covering their cough to prevent the
spread of germs.
▪ Stay alert and follow the instructions of the Department of Health
(including the Chief Health Officer).
▪ Direct all media enquiries to the DEECDs Media Unit
▪ Be prepared for multiple waves.
e. Bomb/Chemical Threat
▪ If a bomb/chemical threat is received by telephone:
o Stay calm
o Do not hang up
o Refer to the bomb threat checklist.
▪ If a bomb/chemical threat is received by mail:
o Avoid handling of the letter or envelope
o Place the letter in a clear bag or sleeve
o Inform the Police immediately.
▪ If a bomb/chemical threat is received electronically or through the
service’s website:
o Do not delete the message
o Contact police immediately.
▪ Ensure doors are left open.
▪ Do not touch any suspicious objects found.
▪ If a suspicious object is found or if the threat specifically identified a
given area, then evacuation may be considered.

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f. Major External Emissions/Spill (includes gas leaks)
▪ Notify the Incident Controller (Chief Warden).
▪ Call the Fire Brigade by dialling 000.
▪ Turn off gas supply.
▪ If it’s a gas leak onsite, notify your gas provider (number can be found on
the emergency numbers and key contacts page).
▪ Evacuate staff, children, and visitors (including contractors) to <insert
assembly point/s>. This may be an offsite location.
▪ Check staff, children and visitors are accounted for.
▪ Contact the region for advice and support, as appropriate.
▪ Direct all media enquiries to the DEECDs Media Unit
▪ Await ‘all clear’ or further advice before resuming normal children’s
services activities.
g. Internal Emission/Spill (includes cleaners storeroom)
▪ Move staff/children away from the spill to a safe area.
▪ If safe to do so, the spill can be cleaned up by staff. Personal Protective
Equipment should be worn as per the requirements of the Material
Safety Data Sheet and Safety Work Procedure/Practice (procedures
including OHS Service Policy).
▪ Contact the Fire Brigade if the nature of the emission/spill is unknown
or it is unsafe to manage.
▪ Notify the relevant WHS authority if required
h. Earthquakes
If outside
Instruct staff and children to:
▪ Stay outside and move away from buildings, streetlights and utility
wires.
▪ DROP, COVER and HOLD
o DROP to the ground
o Take COVER by covering their head and neck with your arms and
hands
o HOLD on until the shaking stops.

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If inside
Instruct staff and children to:
▪ Move away from windows, heavy objects, shelves etc.
▪ DROP, COVER and HOLD
o DROP to the ground
o Take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of
furniture or go into the corner of the building covering their faces
and head in their arms
o HOLD on until the shaking stops.
After the earthquake
▪ Evaluate the need to evacuate if there are uncontrolled fires, gas leaks or
structural damage to the building you are in.
▪ If you evacuate, watch out for fallen trees, power lines, and stay clear of
any structures that may collapse.
▪ Arrange medical assistance where required.
▪ Help others if you can.
▪ Report the status of staff, children and visitor safety to the Incident
Controller (Chief Warden).
▪ Tune in to radio if you can and follow any emergency instructions.
▪ If there is damage to the facility it is OK to do so, you may take notes and
photographs for insurance purposes.
i. Medical Emergency
▪ Check for any threatening situation and remove or control it (if safe to
do so).
▪ Remain with the casualty and provide appropriate support.
▪ Notify First Aid Officer.
▪ Notify the Incident Controller (Chief Warden).
▪ Notify the ambulance by dialling ‘000’.
▪ Designate someone to meet and direct the ambulance to the location of
the casualty.
▪ Try not to leave the casualty alone unless emergency help arrives.
▪ Do not move the casualty unless exposed to a life threating situation.

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