Overall Approach to Risk Assessment

Overall Approach to Risk Assessment

Considerations from the legal team:

Ultimately the employer is accountable for health and safety and therefore cannot delegate health and safety duties. It can require staff to cooperate with them and to follow what they are told, but it cannot delegate a duty. There is no problem asking staff to do something e.g. a risk assessment, which is part of the policy, but it remains the employer’s duty to ensure it’s done and that it’s suitable and sufficient. It would not be a defence to a nursery if a member of staff did not undertake, for example, a risk assessment. The employer must therefore have a system in place to ensure such things are done.

At Rabbit Patch Day Nursery, we take all reasonable steps to ensure staff and children in our care are not exposed to risks. We promote the safety of children, parents, staff and visitors by reviewing and reducing any risks.

Risk assessments

Risk assessments document the hazards or aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis. These include who could be harmed, existing controls, the seriousness of the risk or possible injury, any further action needed to control the risk, who is responsible for what action, when and how often the action will be undertaken, and how this will be monitored, checked and by whom.

The nursery carries out written risk assessments regularly (at least annually). These are reviewed regularly and cover potential risks to children, staff and visitors at the nursery. When circumstances change in the nursery e.g. a significant piece of equipment is introduced or new activity or experience is planned, we review our current risk assessment or conduct a new risk assessment dependent on the nature of this change.

All staff are trained in the risk assessment process to ensure understanding and compliance of how they manage risks.  All outings away from the nursery are individually risk assessed and adequately staffed with paediatric first aid trained practitioners. For more details, please refer to the Visits and outings policy.

Hints and tips

Please refer to the Health and Safety Executive’s ‘Five Steps to Risk Assessment’ https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm for further support with the risk assessment process. The Five Steps to Risk Assessment publication and risk assessment templates can be downloaded from the Health and Safety Executive’s website at www.hse.gov.uk. Citation Plc can also offer further support with risk assessments at www.citation.co.uk.