Risk assessing gravel?!

**mumofone** · 11-12-2014, 12:04 PM

N the same vein as my poisonous plants thread, could anyone advise on how to risk assess gravel. It could be seen as a choking hazard for instance and I've heard stories of CMs being told they have to remove it completely but can I just say I will monitor the children around it? Thanks for any advice :-)

**moggy** · 11-12-2014, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by mumofone

N the same vein as my poisonous plants thread, could anyone advise on how to risk assess gravel. It could be seen as a choking hazard for instance and I've heard stories of CMs being told they have to remove it completely but can I just say I will monitor the children around it? Thanks for any advice :-)

As you probably suspect, there is no clear answer to that- I have lots of gravel and my inspector didn't even mention it. I have heard of 1 inspector having an issue with it. RA as you have said, supervision and teaching children not to eat it is the way to go IMO.

**mama2three** · 11-12-2014, 01:20 PM

I've heard of inspectors wanting it removed , I've also heard of cms making very successful gravel areas for play with diggers etc....
All you can do is risk assess , you're acknowledging that you're aware its a risk and that you will do what you can to make sure they don't eat it..ie supervision and teaching..

**sing-low** · 11-12-2014, 02:20 PM

I think you also need to risk assess in terms of the LOs that you have. I had one LO who was always putting things in her mouth, even past the baby stage when you'd expect it. I had to watch her like a hawk round gravel.

**Bundle** · 13-12-2014, 12:47 AM

It was my pre-reg inspector that had an issue with it. I had risk assessed - pretty thoroughly, as my DO had warned me one local inspector didn't like gravel - but Mrs O completely ignored my RA. Her point was that in her opinion I couldn't have free flow between inside and outside for 0- 3's if gravel was involved. And she thought I should have free flow, so hello shovel and bye bye gravel...

Deeply unconvinced the concrete underneath is actually any safer, but nothing I could have put in my RA would have made any difference. Best to just risk assess it and then forget about it; it'll probably be fine.

I think the problem is with different ofsted inspectors making up their own rules tbh.

**hectors house** · 13-12-2014, 08:32 AM

My mindees loved playing with diggers on my gravel path but I got fed up of telling them not to get it on the grass as when my husband mowed the lawn (not when children there) the mower flicked up gravel and chipped kitchen window - we got rid of the path and block paved it instead but I moved all the gravel to round by my shed and the kids can dig there to their hearts content. I have a mixture of decking, patio, bark, block paving, grass and gravel in my garden I thought we were supposed to have a mixture of surfaces, Mrs O liked my different textures.

**CSR2014** · 13-12-2014, 01:39 PM

Hi,
As someone has previously said - do a comprehensive RA and then try not to think about it!! There are so many things the Inspectors can look at and they all seem to have their own little likes and dislikes!!