Safety Regulations...

[Areca]

Not sure if this is the right spot so mods please move if need be.


DD1 had an accident at gym creche today. They have a small slide in there (like a plastic outdoor one with a little landing on the top, a 3 step ladder to get up to the landing (that's one side of the landing, the rest is enclosed) and then they have a mattress under the slide to stop the kids from hurting themselves if they fall off coming down (it's only little and the mattress is plenty of protection for the height).


There is nothing to protect them from hitting the hard floor if they fall off the back of it. This is what DD1 did and literally half of her forehead is swollen and bruised (I took her to our gp as soon as we got home and she's fine, just looks awful). Now I know there are rules on play equipment over a certain height must have the correct soft flooring around it to prevent accidents like this from happening and I want to know how do I get that info?

I don't want to ring anyone cause I really love the ladies that run the creche and they feel absolutely terrible (seriously, one of them had to stop herself from crying so that DD1 wouldn't cry.) but I want to present the owner with the info. about safety standards in a childcare situation so he can rectify the situation so that no other kid gets hurt.

I don't want them to pull the slide down, all the kids love it. I just want it to be a soft fall if any of the other kids pull DD's trick and I know that the manager won't fork out the money unless he is absolutely required to (the staff at the gym are fantastic but the owner is something else).

So how do I obtain this type of info?

[Miaow]

Your poor DD :( Hope the bruising and swelling goes down fast.

This PDF file I hope will give you the info you need

http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/safetycentre/05_B_yard_play_gnd.pdf

[Areca]

thanks but I'm looking more than just recommended guidelines (that info. is great but it won't be enough for the owner to do anything).
I know my friend who does home based daycare had a list of strict rules that if aren't obeyed will see her be closed down. I can ring her but she works Tue, Wed, Thurs and I couldn't get on to her yesterday which means I won't be able to do anything until next year. I want to get my hands on that info!

I'm in NSW too if that makes a difference.

[Chickadee]

Carmen, I had a quick look through the NCAC.gov.au site, which does the accreditation of daycare facilities. They don't seem to have safety requirements on their site, but their best link is to Kidsafe. For NSW go to http://www.kidsafensw.org/ I'm sure if you speak to them they'll either have the information or be able to help you find it.

Good luck, and hope the bumps and bruises go down soon.

Editted to add.. from one of the KidSafe factsheets (http://www.kidsafensw.org/docs/factsheets/Safe%20Fall%20Zone%20October%2005.pdf):


Impact absorbing material is required under all play equipment and must have proof of testing in accordance with AS/NZS 4422 for fall heights greater than 500mm above ground level. This area should extend 1.9 metres in supervised early childhood settings (2.5 metres in schools and public settings) from the perimeter of the equipment to a border, fence or other equipment (known as the "Safe Fall Zone").

The language is a bit sketchy though. It starts saying 'required' but then the "should extend" seems more like a recommendation than a requirement.

[Areca]

Thanks Chickadee. I mentioned to the receptionist this morning that I was going to be asking for more padding around the slide and she said 'good, there should be' so I will print out that fact sheet and include it in my letter of request. I will also be taking photo's of DD's forehead and including that (even though the swelling has gone down a lot today). I just signed up for another 12 months so I won't be backing down on it!