Infection control in nursery settings: an essential checklist

Children playing

Infection control in nurseries isn’t just a huge part of Health & Safety compliance. It’s also the main way to stop the kids in your care and your employees from getting ill – we all know how easily things can spread in nursery settings. And, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, good infection control in nurseries is more important than ever.

So, if you want to prevent absences and keep your people and children safe, here’s how to go about it.

We had a chat with our in-house Health & Safety experts to give you the best guidance on infection control in nurseries, wrapped up in one handy free guide.

Why infection control in nurseries is important

Health & Safety should always be a top priority for businesses, and a day nursery setting is no different. But obviously that can be easier said than done sometimes, with everything else you’ve got going on. So here are the basics you need to keep in mind.

Babies and young children are more vulnerable to catching germs and illnesses because they have lower immune systems. Often, a day nursery setting or preschool is the first place outside their home where kids spend a lot of their time. And obviously shared environments like nurseries bring a higher risk of illness as people are in close contact.

And that’s not all. With kids sharing toys, games, and equipment, the risk of germs spreading shoots up – and you can’t exactly ask them to make sure they keep hygiene in mind when playing, can you?

Jokes aside, managing infection control in nursery settings is a serious business. Nursery and preschool providers have a duty of care to make sure children in their setting are safeguarded against the risk of infection. The Early Years Foundation Stage says you should have adequate procedures in place and take the necessary preventative measures to make sure children who fall ill are cared for.

Why an infection control checklist is helpful

With all the different germs and illnesses out there, how do you protect your people and children against them all?

Our essential checklist contains all the areas you need to cover – and the areas the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would look at. Inside, you’ll find all the questions that our Health & Safety consultants would ask when they check in on our nursery clients, including:

 

  • COVID-19 (yep, you still should keep it in mind!)
  • Food hygiene measures
  • PPE and equipment
  • Workplace Health & Safety

Download your free guide today

Ready to get started? All you need to do to access this free checklist on infection control in nursery settings is to fill in your details on the form on this page and get ticking.

Making infection control in nurseries simpler

Health & Safety in nurseries can sometimes feel like a minefield – and, when you’re so busy anyway, you can quickly feel like you’re falling behind. That’s where our 24/7 Health & Safety package comes in, giving you support with everything from reporting accidents in the workplace to nursery risk assessments.

Better still, you can get access to our smart cloud-based online platform Atlas, so you can create risk assessments in seconds, assign Health & Safety training, log accidents, and store all your Health & Safety documentation. So, why not call us on 0345 844 1111 to get started or contact us via our online form to chat about how we can make Health & Safety simpler, so you can focus on what you do best.

Check out more Health & Safety related blogs

Want to find out more? Check out these Health & Safety blogs below!

How to prepare for a Health & Safety inspection

Does your PPE actually protect your workers? 

Five important Health & Safety considerations

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