As a risk management professional, I have examined the approach to safety in early learning and childcare (ELC) settings. Tragedies continue to occur, and an obvious question is ‘Why?’. Another is, ‘Is improvement possible?’
Of the starting points, one is the safety record of nurseries. Historic government statistics show there are around 9,000 accidents to birth to four-year-olds inside nurseries each year. Most are minor, though not all. Nonetheless, it is immediately evident that nurseries cannot be described as ‘safe’ unless the word has a particular meaning. One enlightening definition is: ‘Safety – freedom from unacceptable risk, but not safe’! The point made is there is seldom a complete absence of risk, and some must be tolerated. Thus, although a popular concept of ‘safety’ is zero risk, risk professionals think differently. The implication is that accidents will occur in places described as safe.
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