Risk assessments should be carried out before an activity to identify and minimize potential hazards before occurring. The risk assessment for a water play activity should include the risks, the identified potential hazards, who are actually at risk, the level of risk after evaluation and the appropriate action to be taken to minimize the risk or hazard.
The risk assessment that was carried out for the outdoor activity I have called ‘puddle play’, was for children between the age of 3 and 4 years. However this risk assessment will change according to the children’s age, developmental level and abilities. For example the suitable depth of water in the puddles would be different for a baby of 9 months old to a child of 4 years. This is because there is an increasing chance of the younger child drowning than the older child because the older child has a higher sense of danger.
The risk assessment that was carried out for the indoor water activity was for children between the ages of 2 and 3. This activity consisted of bubbles and small aquatic animal toys. Again, the depth of the water would need to be considered and altered because these children are younger and more vulnerable to the risk of drowning. The level of supervision would also change taking into consideration the staffing ratios.
Adult to child ratios
|Age |Adult: child |
|0-1 years |1:3 |
| | |
|1-2 years |1:3 |
|2-3 years |1:4 |
|3-4 years |1:8 |