Safety Policies and Procedures

Section One: Safety Polies aqnd Procedures

Identify at least five potentially hazardous situations/safety threats common to your age group.

For each of the hazardous situations or safety threats:

• Summarize specific safety policies that apply to these situations/threats.
  
• Describe measures that should be taken to prevent and/or deal with these situations/threats.
  
• Indicate what families can do to ensure the safety of the child at home.

For the project, I have decided to work with the age group of Infants and Toddlers, specifically focusing on children ages twelve to twenty-four months.  I have chosen this age group because it is a group that I have worked with previously and I feel as though I have the most knowledge about this particular age group as opposed to the others we had the option of picking.

There are lots of safety hazards that come along with working with children at such a young age.  Among them, the first that comes to mind is the idea of children choking on small objects.  This can be a hazard because it causes a choking concern.  We have to be careful and observant of the toys we give the children to play with as well as any little pieces that may be in arms reach on a shelf or the floor.  Choking hazards are something that all teachers, no matter the age, are to be mindful of in a classroom environment as well as in other environments that the children are I (outside, hallways, etc.)

Another dangerous situation would be the open outlet sockets, the ones that are not protected by outlet covers.  These can cause problems when children insert their tiny fingers or small objects into the holes, causing shock or fires.  It is important to cover these outlets up with furniture or outlet covers.  A third safety hazard that I may encounter during my work with young children can be the suffocation due to blankets.  This, seen most often during a child’s time sleeping, can be a very dangerous thing that a teacher may not be able to prevent.  Children at a young age can become entangled in their sleeping garments, causing problems to their airways.  We need to be continuously checking on children who are sleeping to make sure this does not occur.

Working with children, you become aware of some less noticeable safety threats as well.  We need to make sure that all dangerous chemicals are locked up and out of reach.  It is very hazardous for a child to come in contact with certain chemicals, especially if they swallow or ingest these dangerous chemicals.  All chemicals should be kept away, no left out on a table for a child to touch, and we need to make sure we are not using the chemicals around the children so that they are in no way exposed while unprotected.  The fifth safety threat that I see within a classroom of infants and toddlers would be little fingers getting caught in small spaces, doors as they are closing, or slid between a table and a chair.  Their tiny fingers can be caught in a number of tight or small spaces that, as adults, we would not get ur fingers into due to size.  It is important to always be aware of where a child has their small fingers so as not to get them caught anywhere that may cause pain. 

In order to ensure that these safety situations are addressed at home or in a classroom, simply follow the ideas that I have listed above.  Hide chemicals, cover electric outlets, and clean floors regularly.  There are safety hazards everywhere for children at this young age.  It is important for adults to be aware of the surroundings and constantly re-evaluating the situation with the safety and best interest of the children in mind.