Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Q-what should you do if the sandpit os contaminated by animal or human faeces,blood or other bodily fluids?

My Ans-Accidental spills and secretions of body fluids are a fact of life within a child care centre.
Managing these spills includes:
• Avoiding direct contact with blood or other fluids.
• When cleaning or treating a child’s face which has blood on it, ensure you are not
at eye level with the child. If you are at eye level and the child is upset, there is a
chance, through their crying or coughing for their blood to enter your eyes or
mouth.
• Wear gloves if possible.
• Cover any cuts and abrasions on your hands with a waterproof dressing. Healthy
skin is an effective barrier against you becoming infected from spilled blood and
other body fluids.
• Supervise children at all times; ensuring safety and safe play is a priority at all
times. When a child is injured, there are several things you will need to do. These
include looking after the child, sending for the first aid officer, checking that noone
else has come in contact with the injured child’s blood, and cleaning up the
blood.
• Regularly toilet children.
• Use disposable nappies rather than cloth.
• Exclude children with diarrhoea and/or vomiting.
The child
• When attending an injured child who is bleeding, take care to avoid contact with
the blood.
• Comfort the child and move them to safety.
• Apply pressure to the bleeding area. Use gloves if available. (If gloves are not
available, take the first opportunity to get someone wearing gloves to take over
from you. Then wash your hands.)
• Elevate the bleeding area, unless you suspect a broken bone or fracture.
• Send for the first aid officer.
• When the wound is covered and no longer bleeding, remove gloves. Put them in a
plastic bag and place the bag in the rubbish bin.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

please suggest am I right in my response

Your response is directed more of how to handle a child that is unwell or injured rather than what to do if the sandpit is contaminated...

If sand is contaminated by animal or human faeces, blood or other body fluids remove all children from the sandpit and then:
i. Use a shovel and dispose of the contaminated sand in a plastic bag. Educators will wear suitable protective clothing.
ii. Rake remaining sand at regular intervals during the day and leave exposed to the sun.
iii. Change sand completely if it is contaminated extensively.

Ref: Sandpit Policy

,
Lorina