Chapter 8
Safety Management
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Terms to Know
• unintentional injury
– an unexpected or unplanned event that may
result in physical harm or injury.
• risk management
– measures taken to avoid an event such as an
injury or illness implies the ability to anticipate
circumstances and behaviors.
• Supervision
– watching carefully over the behaviors and
actions of children and others.
Terms (continued)
• incidental learning
– learning that occurs in addition to the primary
intent or goals of instruction.
• Liability
– legal responsibility or obligation for one's
actions owed to another individual.
• Negligence
– failure to practice or perform one's duties
according to certain standards; carelessness.
Unintentional Injury Facts
• Unintentional injuries are the primary
cause of death among children under 14
years of age. (Table 8-1).
• Each year, more than 200,000 children
under 14 yrs. are treated in U. S.
emergency departments for playgroundrelated injuries.
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Common causes of death due
to unintentional injury include:
• Motor vehicles
• Drowning
• Burns
• Suffocation
• Falls
• Poisoning
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Unintentional Injury Facts
• Approximately 68% of deaths due to
injury-related causes occur among
children and adolescents aged 5-19 years
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Unintentional Injury
• Young children are at especially high risk
for unintentional injury due to their:
– Limited understanding of cause and effect
– Immature motor skills
– Inexperience
– Exuberance
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Risk Management
• Requires continuous awareness and
implementation of safety practices.
• Requires that adults be aware of their own
well-being and circumstances that might
make them less effective in monitoring
children’s safety.
• Requires adults to be positive role models.
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Risk Management (continued)
Effective risk management is based on four
principles:
#1). Advanced planning and thoughtful
selection of toys, play equipment, and
activities
- Is based on knowledge of children’s age,
interests, and developmental abilities.
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Developmental Risks
• In what way do children’s developmental
characteristics influence the type of injuries they
are likely to sustain?
• What are some of the potential sources of risk
for:
–
–
–
–
Infants
Mobile toddlers
Preschoolers
School-age children
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Risk Management (continued)
• #1 Advanced planning and thoughtful
selection of toys, play equipment, and
activities (continued)
– Learning experiences and activities:
• Must be planned from beginning to end and
supervised closely
• Should take into account children’s interests and
developmental skills
• Should be designed to promote learning (and
reduce misuse)
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Risk Management (continued)
• #2). Establishing and consistently enforcing
rules
- Rules are based on knowledge of children’s age,
interests, and developmental abilities
- Adults’ supervisory skills and the number of children
in a group must also be taken into consideration
- Rules must be appropriate for a given activity
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Risk Management (continued)
• #3 Providing quality supervision
- In group settings, the majority of unintentional
injuries occur during outdoor play
- The amount of supervision required depends on
the type of activity and children’s
developmental abilities and limitations
- Teachers should know first aid and be familiar with
a program’s emergency policies and
procedures.
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Risk Management (continued)
• #4 Safety education
- Should be ongoing.
- Should take advantage of formal and spontaneous
learning opportunities.
- Should gradually help children develop
self-protection skills.
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Safety and Toys
• How to select toys and play equipment
– Not all manufacturer’s age recommendations
are appropriate. Know your children’s abilities
and limitations.
– Consider construction (non-toxic) and safety
features (Table 8-6)
– Avoid toys with small parts (choking hazard),
sharp edges, projectiles, loud noises, and
long strings or cords (strangulation hazard).
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Safety and Toys (continued)
©2012 Cengage Learning.
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Safety and Toys (continued)
– Avoid toys and
activities that may
be too challenging
or too far below
children’s skill
level.
– Be alert to product
recalls and
recommendations
(www.cpsc.org)
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Additional Safety Considerations
• Only provide art materials that pose no
safety risks
• Take special precautions to ensure that
field trips are safe for children.
– Thoughtful planning, emergency preparations,
and notification procedures must be
addressed.
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Additional Safety Considerations
• Establish feeding and care guidelines for
classroom pets
– Make sure children have no allergies to
animals
– Children and adults should always wash their
hands after handling any animal.
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Sun Safety
• Exposure to too much sun over a lifetime
can have harmful health consequences.
• Children's skin—even that of dark-skinned
children—is especially sensitive to the
sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays and tends to
burn quickly and easily.
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Sun Safety Steps
• Avoid going outdoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
when the sun's rays are the strongest and most
damaging.
• Encourage children to play in the shade whenever
possible.
• Dress in protective clothing that is cool and loose
fitting.
– Keep as much skin surface covered as possible.
– Children should be discouraged from wearing tank or
halter tops.
– A hat with a brim provides shade protection for the
face and eyes.
Sun Safety Steps (continued)
• Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF)
of at least 15 or higher 30 minutes before going
outdoors.
– Reapply every 2 hours or more often if children are
swimming, perspiring, or drying themselves with a
towel.
– Sunburn occurs more quickly when the skin is wet.
• Wear sunglasses to protect eyes from UV radiation.
– Light-colored eyes (blue, gray) are particularly sensitive to
sunlight and are more susceptible to damage.
©2012 Cengage Learning.
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Resources for Sun Safety
• Become a “SunWise” school by registering at
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/becoming.html
• http://www.nickjr.com/kids-health/child-safety/sun/protect-theirskin_ap.html
• http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/pdfactivities/Activities_for_Pre
school.pdf
• http://www.aahealth.org/pdf/sponges.pdf
• http://www.scdhec.gov/administration/library/CR-009529.pdf
©2012 Cengage Learning.
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Safety Management:
Case Study
Teachers at the Wee Ones Child Care Center, located in
an inner-city neighborhood, know that field trips can be
an important part of the curriculum.
They have discussed organizing a trip to the local city
zoo as part of a learning unit on animals. However, the
teachers also realize the challenges involved in taking a
group of twenty 3- and 4-year-olds on such an
excursion, but believe the experience is especially
valuable for these children. Since the zoo is located on
the other side of town, the teachers have made
arrangements to ride the city bus.
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Case Study Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What criteria can teachers use to determine if a field trip is a
worthwhile experience?
What types of planning are necessary to ensure a safe and successful
field trip?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using public
transportation?
What safety precautions must teachers take before leaving the
premises?
How might visiting a site ahead of time help teachers better plan for a
field trip?
What problems should teachers anticipate when taking children on
field trips?
What information should families be given?
Are off-premises field trips typically covered by school liability
insurance policies?