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Bad Weather, Emergency and Disaster Recovery Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that parents and staff understand what to do in the case of

  • Bad weather such as snow which disrupts normal operations of the nursery
  • Emergencies, such as flooding, gas leaks and any incident which is beyond the control of Bristol Childcare but which directly affects our nurseries
  • Emergencies which are within our control
  • How we plan to recover from disasters within and outside our control

Please note the Senior Manager on duty will be the Managing Director unless otherwise informed.

Please see the Critical Incident Contingency Plan – folder 6.14 – which will be used during any “critical incident” situation to plan the Bristol Childcare actions and responses.

WEATHER

  1. Generally, all Bristol Childcare nurseries will remain open during bad weather unless unsafe to do so. A full closure will be notified by email and a ParentZone “moment” to the registered parents and carers.
  1. During periods of bad weather every effort will be made to operate as normal. To assist with this, staff living near each location may be requested to attend work, even if they are on holiday.
  1. Whilst staff are expected to make every effort to attend work, they are not expected to put themselves or others at risk. Where possible, staff should walk or use public transport.
  1. If key holders cannot attend work they shall call their manager. The manager will then make arrangements, if necessary calling the senior manager on duty to arrange. The manager shall keep a list of staff contacts at home for such emergencies.
  1. It shall be assumed that staff are present during periods of bad weather unless they inform the manager otherwise.
  1. During periods of bad weather we may operate shorter opening hours. Parents will be notified of closing times when they drop off their child.
  1. Pathways and steps shall be kept clear and shall be gritted / salted regularly.
  1. Where deliveries of food and other consumables are not possible, the manager shall contact the Finance and Services Manager who will make alternative arrangements. In some cases a limited menu may be offered.
  1. Where the cook is not able to come to work, every effort shall be made for another adequately trained member of staff to prepare meals.
  1. Should electricity or gas supplies fail we will continue to operate until unsafe to do so. Lack of heating will not cause nursery to close although a normal minimum temperature of 16 deg should be observed.

EMERGENCIES OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL

  1. Emergencies outside our control are incidents which may take place on or off our premises but which directly affect our ability to operate and care for children.
  2. Should we need to evacuate for a long period of time, we will move to our Place of Safety and follow the procedure set out in Appendix 3.

Gas Leaks 

If you detect a gas leak, immediately call 0800 111 999. If gas is entering a childcare area you should:

  1. Turn off the gas at the mains. You should also turn off all gas to all the flats in the building. The main gas taps location is on the data sheet. You will need a meter cabinet key to access gas taps the location of which is on the data sheet.
  2. Turn off the electricity at the main switch, unless this area has gas present. The main switch location is given in the data sheet.
  3. Evacuate as you would in a fire
  4. Await further instructions from either the Gas supplier or the emergency services.
  5. Contact a senior manager immediately

Flooding

No location in Bristol Childcare is likely to suffer from natural flooding. However, in the event of a burst water main or sewer overflow then you should:

  1. Assess whether the water may cause electrical failure. If so, switch off all power to the building but only if water has not yet reached electrical installations. DO NOT TOUCH ELECTRICAL SWITCHES IF YOU SUSPECT WATER HAS REACHED THEM.
  2. Assess what the water level will affect – if necessary, evacuate the building.
  3. Where possible and safe to do so, remove or raise movable items to avoid water damage. In particular, documents and records should be moved to a dry area.
  4. Contact a senior manager immediately.
  5. Contact the Water Company and liaise with emergency services as required.

 

 

 

Appendix 1 – Data Sheet for each nursery

DATA SHEET

NURSERY NAME

LOCATION OF NURSERY GAS TAP(S)

LOCATION OF MAIN ELECTRICITY SWITCH

Water Stop Cock

Duty Manager Rota

Details of Fire alarms

Contact Details sheet