HYGIENE GUIDELINES - City of Greater Bendigo

HYGIENE GUIDELINES
Quality Area 2
PURPOSE
To provide a set of procedures to ensure an environment that is safe, clean, hygienic, and controls the
spread of infection
OBJECTIVES
To implement infection control procedures to minimise the likelihood of cross-infection and the
spread of infectious diseases and illnesses to children, educators and any other persons in
attendance at the service
To fulfil the service’s duty of care requirement under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004,
the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 and the Education and Care Services
National Regulations 2011 to ensure that those involved with the service are protected from harm.
SCOPE
These guidelines apply to the Approved Provider, Nominated/Certified Supervisors, Early Childhood
Educators, students on placement, parents/guardians, children and others attending the programs and
activities at City of Greater Bendigo Early Learning Services, including offsite excursions and
activities.
DEFINITIONS
Communicable disease: A disease that can be transmitted from one infected person to another,
either directly or indirectly.
Infectious disease: A disease that can be spread, from person to person, through coughing,
sneezing or contact.
PROCEDURES
The Approved Provider is responsible for:
Ensuring the Nominated Supervisor, educators at the service implement adequate health and
hygiene practices including safe food handling
Arranging for the service to be cleaned on a regular basis as per the cleaning contract and schedule
Reviewing educator’s training needs in relation to understanding and implementing effective
hygiene practices in Education and Care Services.
The Nominated Supervisor/ Certified Supervisor is responsible for:
Implementing and ensuring that all educators at the service follow health, hygiene and safety
practices to minimise risks to children and educators
Actively encouraging parents/guardians to keep children who are unwell at home to prevent the
spread of infection to other children and educators
Ensuring that there is a regular and thorough cleaning and disinfecting schedule for all equipment
and toys
Developing an effective cleaning schedule that outlines daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual
cleaning and sanitising requirements and responsibilities
Ensuring that specific procedures are displayed in appropriate areas for toileting, changing of
nappies and hand washing
Ensuring that laundry facilities are available and in good working order for dealing with soiled
clothing and linen.
Hygiene GUIDELINES
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Early Childhood Educators are responsible for:
Implementing and promoting correct hand washing and hygiene practices
Maintaining the service in a clean and hygienic manner throughout the day
Ensuring they wear disposable gloves when changing soiled nappies, dealing with open wounds or
other body fluids, and dispose of those gloves and soiled materials in a sealed container or plastic
bag
Ensuring that an inspection of the outdoor areas, in particular the sand and soft-fall areas, are
conducted each morning to ensure they are maintained in a safe and hygienic manner
Storing or presenting items, such as beds, bedding and sunhats, in such a way as to prevent
cross-contamination
Being conscious of their responsibility to stay away from the service when they have or suspect
they have an infectious disease.
In terms of changing nappies for children, educators are responsible for:
Attending to the individual personal hygiene needs of each child as soon as is practicable
Changing nappies and attending to individual personal hygiene and toileting needs of each child
according to recommended procedures
Disposing of soiled nappies in a safe and hygienic manner.
In terms of the toileting of children, educators are responsible for:
Respecting the need to maintain privacy of toileting and dressing
Encouraging children to flush the toilet after use
Respecting diverse styles of toileting children due to cultural or religious practices
Encouraging children to tell an educator if they have had a toileting accident
Encouraging and assisting children to wash their hands according to hand washing guidelines (refer
to Attachment 1) after toileting
Ensuring soap and drying facilities are available at all times
Ensuring children do not share the use of items related to personal care, such as hand towels for
drying hands, toothbrushes and hairbrushes.
In terms of children’s bedding, educators are responsible for:
Ensuring that rooms used for sleep and relaxation are well ventilated
Providing clean linen, blanket and mattress protector for each child
Cleaning bedding (mats and cots) after use by each child when children share bedding equipment
throughout the week
Washing linen after use by each child when children share bedding throughout the week, or
changing every 5 days when used only by the one child
Storing separately for each child, bedding to be used again by the same child and labelling with
their name to prevent cross-contamination.
For cleaning toys, clothing and the service in general, educators are responsible for:
Wearing gloves when cleaning
Washing mouthed toys daily using warm water and detergent and, if possible, drying in the sun.
Alternatively, and if suitable, mouthed toys may be washed in a commercial dishwasher and
allowed to air dry
Ensuring washable toys and equipment are cleaned term by term or as required.
In regard to children’s contact with one another, educators are responsible for:
Educating and encouraging children in good personal hygiene practices, such as:
Washing their hands after toileting
Washing their hands after blowing and wiping their nose
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(If unable to wash hands using soap and water, using antibacterial sanitiser)
Disposing of used tissues promptly and appropriately
Only touching the food they are going to eat
Not touching one another when they are cut or bleeding
Using their own equipment for personal care, such as toothbrushes, hats, brushes and combs
Using own drink bottles or cups.
For the Indoor and Outdoor environments, educators are responsible for:
Keeping the indoor and outdoor environments as clean and hygienic as possible at all times,
including the safe disposal of discarded needles/syringes/sharps
Promptly removing blood, urine and faeces (including animal) either indoors or outdoors, using the
appropriate cleaning procedures
Emptying water containers, such as water trays, each day.
Safe handling of body fluids or materials in contact with body fluids:
Avoid direct contact with blood or other fluids
Do not be at eye level when cleaning/treating a child’s face that has blood on it, as a child’s blood
can enter the mouth/nose of an educators when a child cries or coughs
Wear gloves
Cover any cuts/abrasions on their own hands with a waterproof dressing
Any products contaminated with blood are placed in a double plastic bag and disposed straight into
rubbish bins
Washing hands immediately after handling of body fluids or materials contaminated with body fluids.
Effective environmental cleaning:
Toilets/sinks must be cleaned daily (during rest time or as required as spills occur,) and separate
cleaning cloths/sponges must be used for each task. These areas are to be cleaned with
antibacterial wipes or antibacterial spray and paper towel)
Nappy change areas/mats must be wiped with antibacterial wipes after each nappy change
All bench tops and floors must be cleaned daily or as required as spills occur
Children’s cups/drink bottles used for water must be washed after use
Tea towels to be changed daily
When doing the laundry, educators are to consider washing items separately to minimise crosscontamination
including washing bibs and face washers separate to other items.
Parents/guardians are responsible for:
Keeping their child/ren home if they are unwell or have an infectious disease that requires their
exclusion from the Education and Care Service
Informing the service if their child has an infectious disease
Supporting this Service by complying with the hygiene practices when attending the service or when
assisting with a service program or activity
Encouraging their child/ren to develop and follow effective hygiene practices at all times.
EVALUATION
These guidelines will be revised on an annual basis or as required following any incident related to the
guidelines in accordance with current legislation, research and policy.
SOURCES
www.kpv.org.au
RELATED GUIDELINES
Dealing with Medical Conditions
Dealing with Infectious Diseases
Hygiene GUIDELINES
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Occupational Health and Safety
GUIDELINES DEVELOPED
September 2012
REVIEW DATE
September 2013
Hygiene GUIDELINES
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