“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is: This week’s subject is Upkeep
Element 3.1.2: Premises, furniture and equipment are safe, clean and well maintained.
Are your service’s maintenance, cleaning and safety checks embedded in everyday practice in a way that ensures the environment remains consistently safe, clean and well maintained?
Maintaining the physical premises is a fundamental component of high-quality practice, as it directly underpins the safety, wellbeing and learning outcomes of every child. Services must ensure that the premises, furniture and equipment are consistently safe, clean and well maintained, recognising that the condition of the environment has a direct impact on children’s ability to engage in meaningful learning and on their overall health and safety.
Effective upkeep involves implementing ongoing maintenance systems, risk assessments, thorough cleaning practices and appropriate safety precautions to prevent injury and minimise the spread of illness, reinforcing every child’s right to be safe within the service environment. Within Quality Area 3, the physical environment is not only a backdrop for learning, but it also actively shapes how children interact, explore and participate, meaning that well-maintained, fit-for-purpose spaces are essential to supporting engagement, inclusion and positive experiences. As such, maintaining the premises is both a regulatory obligation and a critical aspect of delivering safe, high-quality education and care.
Premises, furniture and equipment safety and maintenance:
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- All furniture, equipment and resources must meet Australian Standards. Services must ensure that educators are trained in the correct assembly and maintenance.
- Daily safety inspections are completed to ensure the physical environment is safe and free from any hazards or potentially dangerous objects, e.g., sharps, animals, poisonous plants, hanging or fallen branches etc. Safety checks are completed prior to children’s arrival at the service. OSHC Services should complete inspections prior to each before and after school care session.
- Smoke detectors are regularly tested, and batteries are replaced annually.
- Risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor environment are conducted regularly, to identify and minimise risks.
- Risk assessments should be conducted regularly. The frequency may be determined by the geographical location of the service, frequency of incidents or changes to the layout of the environment.
- The sleep and rest risk assessment is completed at least once every 12 months, and as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may affect the safety, health or wellbeing of children during sleep and rest. The sleep and rest risk assessment is to be conducted for the purpose of preparing the service’s policies and procedures for sleep and rest (r84C).
- Risk assessments for any equipment and experiences that attract a level of risk e.g. playground equipment, climbing frames, water play, woodwork, gardens and natural areas, sand pit, mud pit, tree climbing etc. are completed as required.
- All sleep surfaces are checked for firmness in accordance with AS/NZS 8811:1:2013.
- Fire equipment is maintained as per the legal standards and documentation is maintained to evidence this.
- Any hazards are removed or made inaccessible immediately and repairs are completed in order of priority.
- Any banned or recalled products are removed immediately.
- Safety audits of the physical environment are conducted regularly.
- Regular pest inspections/treatments are carried out by an accredited pest control company and documentation of this is maintained.
- Bassinets are not on the education and care service premises at any time that children are being educated and cared for by the service (r84D).
- Playground surfaces (including equipment, seating, metal poles, sand) are checked throughout the day to ensure they are maintained at a safe temperature, preventing burns and scalds.
- Maintain a roster detailing who is responsible for completing safety checks each day/session.
- Maintain a record/register of safety checks having been completed.
- Periodically engage an external expert to conduct a safety audit of the service and its grounds to determine if any repairs are required. Service’s must ensure any work/repairs are completed in accordance with Australian Standards.
- Maintain consistent and thorough cleaning routines of all areas, equipment and resources including sand pits, mud kitchens, toys, dress up clothing/accessories, surfaces, handles etc.
- Structured rosters and schedules for cleaning is maintained for all toys, equipment buildings, premises, furniture, surfaces, bathrooms, kitchen/s etc.
- Schedules are maintained for the laundering of all soiled items.
- Ensure educators adhere to manufacturer’s advice and instructions when using products to clean furniture and equipment at the service.
- Keep a record of all cleaning schedules and ensure they are available to sight, if required by an Authorised Officer.
- Accidents and spills must be cleaned up as quickly as possible to ensure that the service always maintains a high level of cleanliness, hygiene and safety.
- Electrical equipment is inspected and tested regularly and in accordance with AS/NZS 3760.
- All playground equipment is developed, installed, inspected and maintained in line with Australian Standard AS 4685.
- All cots must meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 2172 and have a fixed label to indicate this.
- Highchairs must meet Australian Standard AS 4684.
- All portable folding cots must meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 2195 and must carry a label to indicate this.
- All documents that confirm furniture and equipment meet Australian Standards is kept.
- All manufacturer’s documents provided with equipment, furniture and resources, including instruction manuals, certificates, information sheets etc. is maintained.
- Manufacturer’s instructions for equipment that is regularly disassembled and reassembled and stored are kept and accessible to educators and staff.
- A register of all hazardous chemicals and Safety Data Sheets for hazardous substances and equipment used at the service is maintained and kept up to date.
- All dangerous chemicals, medications and substances are kept in their original containers provided by the manufacturer, with all labeling, including use by/expiry dates kept intact and in a locked cupboard/area, inaccessible to children.
- All dangerous tools and equipment are kept in a locked cupboard/area, inaccessible to children.
Staff training and information:
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- Review of key obligations under the National Law, Regulations and NQS relating to safe, clean and well-maintained environments.
- Include the process of completing safety inspections/checks effectively as part of the staff induction and ongoing training for all staff.
- Regularly discuss monitoring and scanning of the environment, strategies and actions to minimise risks with the team.
- Ensure staff are inducted on effective cleaning and maintenance routines and infection control.
- Cleaning procedures are displayed in relevant areas i.e., kitchen, laundry, nappy change areas.
- Ensure staff are aware of the location of the register of hazardous chemicals and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Staff understand that they are to follow the manufacturer’s instructions outlined in the SDS for the use, storage and first aid procedures.
- Workplace Health and Safety procedures.
- Provide educator and staff induction training on risk management and regular updates and reviews at team meetings. Topics to include:
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- identifying hazards (use a checklist to assist with identifying hazards)
- evaluate and manage the risks
- implementation of risk minimisation plans to control identified risk/s
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- Maintenance and reporting procedures are included as part of the induction of all staff including:
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- procedures for reporting maintenance issues
- removal of hazards from the environment
- timeframes and escalation processes for urgent vs non-urgent repairs
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- Use team meetings to critically reflect on practice to drive continual improvement (exceeding theme 2: Practice is informed by critical reflection):
- How does the environment support all children’s health, safety and learning? What barriers do we need to overcome?
- How do we critically reflect on our daily practices to ensure the environment is consistently safe, clean and well maintained, rather than relying on routine or habit?
- In what ways does the condition and presentation of our environment reflect respect for children, families, the community and our professional standards?
- In what ways do we analyse incidents, hazards and maintenance records to identify patterns and implement sustained improvements?
- How do we ensure that all equipment and resources remain safe, accessible and appropriate for children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds?
- What improvements could we make to strengthen our safety and maintenance practices and move beyond compliance to exceeding practice?
- How do team discussions and professional dialogue challenge assumptions and strengthen how we maintain safe, high-quality educational environments?
- What methods do we implement to obtain and use feedback from children, families and educators to inform improvements to the physical environment? Are these effective and how can they be improved?
- How are changes and improvements to our upkeep practices documented, reviewed and embedded into everyday practice and reflected in our QIP?
Resources:
Guide to the NQF- Element 3.1.2: Upkeep, Operational Requirements: Quality Area 3: Physical Environment
Kidsafe- Kidsafe Australia
Kidsafe NSW- Playground Safety Information Sheets, Playground News: Protecting children from burns in the playground
ACCC: Infant sleep products mandatory standards
QIP Nudge- Safe Sleep and Rest
Within System7 go to Quality Area 3/ Modules 3, 4 & 5 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Desktop has a range of resources to assist services physical environment. These include Physical Environment Policy, Sleep and Rest Policy and Procedure, Hazardous Substance Management Procedure, Sand pit Management Procedure, Poison Safety Audit, Safe Sleep and Rest Audit, Outdoor Environment and Playground Safety Audit, Cleaning Checklists, and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
The Desktop – The Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 3/ 3.1.2- Upkeep
National Law – S.167
National Regulations – 82, 84B, 84C, 84D, Chapter 4, Part 4.3- Physical Environment,
System 7 Module – QA 3/ Modules 3, 4 & 5
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