Notifiable incident, non-child... | Milton Mount Playgro

Notifiable incident, non- child protection

Last reviewed: July 30 2024

Last updated: July 30 2024

Staff respond swiftly, appropriately and effectively in the case of an incident within the setting. Notifiable incidents in this procedure are those not involving child protection.

A ‘notifiable’ incident’ could include:

fire or suspected arson
electric or Gas fault
burst pipe, severe leak or flooding
severe weather that has caused an incident or damage to property
break-in with vandalism or theft
staff, parent or visitor mugged or assaulted on site or in vicinity on the way to or from the setting
outbreak of a notifiable disease
staff or parent threatened/assaulted on the premises by a parent or visitor
accidents due to any other faults (that are reportable under RIDDOR)
lost child
any event or information that becomes known, that may have implications for the setting or the wider organisation in the future use

The designated health and safety officer:

has all emergency services numbers immediately to hand
has a list of contacts for maintenance and repair
ensure that members of staff know what to do in an emergency
risk assess the situation and decides, with the owners/trustees/directors, if the premises are safe to receive children before any children are arrive or to offer a limited service

Emergency evacuation

In most instances, children will not be evacuated from the premises unless there is an immediate risk or unless they are advised to do so by the emergency services.

There is an emergency evacuation procedure in place which is unique to the setting and based upon risk assessment in line with others using the building.

Emergency evacuation procedures are practised regularly and are reviewed according to risk assessment (as above).
Staff evacuate children to a pre-designated area (as per the fire drill), unless advised by the emergency services that the designated area is not suitable at that time.
Once evacuated, nobody enters the premises, until the emergency services say so.
Members of staff will act upon the advice of the emergency services at all times.

Insert emergency procedures i.e. route, responsibilities, designated assembly point and other emergency procedures unique to the setting e.g. nuclear power station alert.

Emergency Closure

The circumstances under which the setting may be closed due to an incident include:

The owners/directors/trustees make the decision to close – thereby withdrawing the service.
A third party makes the decision to close for example:

a school, where the setting is on a school site
the children’s centre (if on a children’s centre site)
the emergency services

A parent makes the decision for their child not to attend.

If a parent makes the decision for their child not to attend due to a critical incident, the child’s fees are due as normal.
Further consideration of individual incidences must be done in consultation with the owners/trustees/directors.

Recording and reporting

On discovery of the notifiable incident, the member of staff reports to the appropriate emergency service, fire, police, ambulance, if those services are needed.
The member of staff ensures that the setting manager and/or deputy are informed (if not on the premises at the time) and that the owners/trustees/directors are informed.
The setting manager completes and sends an incident record to the owners/trustees/directors, who, according to the severity of the incident notifies Ofsted or RIDDOR.
If the incident indicates that a crime may have been committed, all staff witness to the incident should make a written statement.
Staff do not discuss the incident with the press.

RIDDOR reportable events include:

Specified injuries at work, as detailed at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg453.pdf
Fatal accidents to staff, children and visitors (parents).
Accidents resulting in the incapacitation of staff for more than seven days.
Injuries to members of the public, including parents’ and children, where they are taken to hospital.
Dangerous ‘specified’ occurrences, where no-one is injured but they could have been. (these are usually industrial incidents).

This may include:

a member of staff injures back at work through lifting and is off for two weeks
a parent slips on a wet floor near the water tray and is taken to hospital
a child falls from a climbing frame and is taken to hospital
the ceiling collapses
an outbreak of Legionella

The setting manager informs the owners/trustees/directors and completes an accident and/or incident record; witness statements are taken as previously detailed.

If the incident is RIDDOR reportable, the setting manager telephones HSE Contact Centre on 0345 300 9923 or reports online at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm
RIDDOR Reportable events require reporting to RIDDOR within 15 days of the event occurring.

The local authority investigates all reported injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences. They will decide if there has been a breach in health and safety regulations and will decide what measures will be taken.

The owners/trustees/directors review how the situation was managed, as above, to ensure that investigations were rigorous and that policies and procedures were followed.

If an insurance claim is likely:

incidents such as fire, theft or flood are notified to the insurance provider immediately
the setting does not admit liability
if broken or faulty equipment is involved, it must not be repaired, destroyed or disposed of, in case it is needed during the investigation
if communication from a solicitor is received on behalf of the injured party, this is sent directly to the insurance provider; the setting manager will then write to the solicitor to confirm that the letter has been passed on
the incident is not discussed with any outside persons, or other parents, no matter what questions they may ask about their own child’s safety in relation to the incident, as it is regarded as confidential under the Data Protection Act.