Water hazard and safety

• Educators and staff will prevent accidents and illnesses occurring relating to potential water hazards (including any water-based activities) within the service, through close supervision, education and compliance with the Regulations.
• Educators and staff ensure that curriculum planning incorporates water safety awareness.
• Adequate supervision entails that all children in all areas of the service, is in sight and/or hearing of a staff member at all times, including during toileting, sleeping and resting, as well as transitional routines. This allows employees to be in a position to observe each child, respond to individual needs, and immediately intervene where necessary
• Any containers that holds or collects water, such as nappy bucket must be safely covered or made inaccessible to children.
• All children's play areas that contain water hazards, such as sand pit cover and equipment, will be checked daily to ensure all water collections are emptied, covered or made inaccessible prior to the children's outdoor play.
• Where an educator or staff is responsible for a mop bucket, he or she will ensure that children are monitored and any bucket is out of their reach at all times.
• Where an excursion is organised near a water source, a risk assessment will be undertaken, inline with the National Regulations. No excursions will be organised that involve actual swimming, or at a place where there is significant water hazard. This includes unfenced swimming pools, lakes, rivers, creeks, swimming holes and the beach.

Excursion and risk assessment

• Expand and enhance children's experiences, and allow them to explore different environments and engage in meaningful ways with their communities, while at the same time ensure such excursions or incursions are well-considered, planned and provide meaningful experiences supporting quality, diversity, and interest and learning opportunities within the programme.
• Prior notice will be given for an excursion or incursion (where necessary).
• The risk assessment will identify and assess any safety, health or well-being risks of taking any child on the excursion and specify how the identified risks will be managed.