Children in a Daycare, Childcare or Head start settings have to be protected from hazardous situations and threats that can harm their lives. Being in these types of setting, children have to be watch closely under all circumstances because if not, and if any harm comes to them, it can cause the programs to be shut down. But there are specific safety polices that are in placed in order to deal with hazardous situations to keep down harmful threats, in order to keep the children safe and free from harm.
Being in a Childcare setting, or any type of environment where children are being kept, and educated under government ruling, there are many types of hazardous in these settings and children have to be protected from their dangerous activity. When dealing with three and four year old children, you have to be cautious about when they are moving about in the classroom, while being on your P’s and Q’s to ensure that they are safe. In my Head start program, there are at least five potentially hazardous situations in this setting that can and will cause harm to young children, if they are not securely protected. Beginning first with the plug outlets, which have to be covered at all times because if not children can easily stick sharp objects into them and cause them to be electrocuted. But being a caregiver, and according to the safety policies is up to the teachers in that classroom to make sure that all the outlets have their plugs and are secured tightly so that the children cannot pull them out. Even when children are at home, their parents have to make sure that they have outlet plugs as well, because if not it can cause problem for them and their children where they may be seriously hurt or injured; but if the parents have a problem getting outlet plugs for their home outlets, they can always get them from their child or children school because the caregivers are there to help ensure the safety of their children as well.
Another hazardous situation or threat is the cord on the window blinds, if they are hanging long children can easily catch them and cause harm to themselves; because blind cords are long and are in arms reach of children, and they can easily pull the blinds down or get the cords tired around their necks. The safety policies that apply to this situation are that the cords on the blinds should be secured high enough so that the children cannot reach them. The measures that should be taken to prevent this situation, is that adult individuals in the classroom should tie the strings of the blinds high enough out of reach of the children, and the blinds should be in a position where they don’t have to be adjusted at all times. This activity can apply to families at home as well, so that their children are not tangled up in the blinds and cannot harm themselves. Professional caregivers can also talk with parents on how to keep their home safe for their children, while giving them pointers on how to secure their blind cords.
“While every classroom is designed to be a place for learning, it may have any number of hazards that can make it dangerous (Electronic Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_7918731_hazards-classroom.html)”. Radio cords are a hazardous threat too, because they hang long to the floor and children can trip over them or easily snatch the cord out of the plug. The safety policies that apply to this situation is that the radios should be placed up high on a shelf or stand, with the cord hanging behind the object it is setting on. The measures that should be taken to prevent this threat is that care givers should follow the policies and ensure their radios be placed on high shelves and stands out of the way of children, with their cord’s hanging behind the shelf or stands. This is to make sure that the children can’t get to them, and if the cord is out of sight then it won’t entice the children to want to touch it, or accidently trip over it. Parents and family members at home can also ensure the safety of their children when it comes to their own personal radio cord; by placing their radios on high shelves too, or on back shelves so that their children won’t in any way possibly touch them. They should put them in a place where only the parents themselves can handle them.
Hazardous chemicals are the biggest problems in both classroom and home setting, because they have caused the death and injury of so many young children in society today. The specific safety policies that apply to this situation are that all harmful chemicals should be kept on a high shelf in a specific place of the classroom or home, out of the reach of children with the label HAZARD CHEMICALS on the cabinet door. It is a must that all families have their chemicals out of reach of their children, to ensure both the parents and children safety as well. Some families can even put a lock and chain on their cabinet doors so that their children will have no potential way of getting into them. For caring caregivers who wish to make sure that their children and families are safe at home, they can do a safety check on the parent’s chemical while doing their home visit, to make sure that the chemicals are kept in a secured place.
Having a fire extinguish in homes and classrooms is a very good idea in case a fire break out. But fire extinguishers can be a hazardous to the well-being of children, because children can easily pull out its pin and cause it to spray uncontrollably by holding the handle, especially if they don’t know what they are doing. Fire extinguishers give off chemicals, that can cause children to become sick; and if at any point that an individual need to use a fire extinguisher, they need to make sure that there are no children around; so that they don’t come in contact with the chemically foam. The specific safety policies that apply to this situation are that fire extinguishers should be kept in a secured case away from children, but in close contact of an adult in case it is needed at any time. The measures that should be taken to prevent any threat or harm to the lives of children, by the cause of a fire extinguisher are; that parents and caregivers should keep their fire extinguishers secured, so that the children cannot get them or explore them for any reasons. Caregivers fire extinguishers should be kept in their classroom in a safe place away from children’s learning centers, and parents should kept their extinguishers in the kitchen area of their homes, but secured in an area out of the reach of their children’s. Being safe and cautious, helps to ensure that children are safe; whether they are at home or school. Children lives are delicate and they need to be surrounded in a safe environment.
Hazardous situations in a classroom setting can happen every day in order for the school to be safe haven for the children to attend; the classroom should be checked regularly every morning before the children start to come in and every evening after they leave. In order for the children to remain safe and healthy while also ensuring the well-being of the teachers. The rooms need to be checked in a systematic way for any and all hazards.
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