Compliance Bulletin

Prevent risk of burns 

April 2026

The Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) wishes to remind all educators and service providers of their responsibility to prevent risk of burns occurring within education and care settings.

This reminder is being issued due to a recent and unacceptable increase in the number of serious burn injuries sustained by children attending approved early childhood education and care (ECEC) services.

Preventing burns is critical to reducing injury risks for young children. This requires continuous risk assessment of both the environment (indoors and outdoors) and children’s activities, underpinned at all times by appropriate supervision.   

The effect of serious burns has significant and lifelong impacts on children, their families, and also educators.

Burns can occur from a range of sources, including hot surfaces, hot liquids and chemicals.

Please remind educators of the practical steps they can take to keep children safe. Below is a list of key considerations when developing policies and practices to minimise burn risks and protect children.

Maintain a safe environment and continuously assess risks 

• Conduct regular safety checks.
• Always ensure adequate supervision of all spaces and activities.
• Conduct thorough risk assessments for all activities and environments.
• Continuously reassess risks during transitions and activities.
• Vigilance, thorough risk assessments, clear communication, and high-level embedded best practices are crucial for minimising risk.
• Review and revise policies and practices following any incident.

Indoor environments

• Milk should only be heated in areas that children do not have access to.  The kitchen is usually the safest option for heating bottles.
• Never take hot liquids into areas where there are children present and save hot drinks for staff only areas.
• It only takes a second for a child to sustain severe burns from hot liquids as their skin is much more sensitive than an adult’s.
• Be careful when serving hot food and microwaved bottles and always test the temperature before serving. Hot food and drink can not only burn the mouth but also the skin. Some foods, such as pasta and noodles, retain heat longer and can stick to the skin, increasing the risk of serious burns.
• If using hot water for cleaning, only do so after children have left the area and ensure the water is properly disposed of safely.
• If using hot water for activities such as making playdough or cooking, only do so away from children.

Outdoor environments 

• Consider surface temperature, not just the air temperature. Even on milder days, surfaces can reach in excess of 40°C. How will this be tested?
• Check the temperature of outdoor surfaces and equipment immediately before children access outside play areas.
• Surface temperatures can fluctuate rapidly, sometimes by up to 10°C between times of cloud cover and sun exposure.
• Pay special attention to composite decking, play equipment, and interlocking jigsaw mats which are common causes of burn injuries.
• Store equipment in the shade.
• Just because something meets Australian Standards, does not mean it won’t heat up or pose a risk to children.

Communicate policies and procedures effectively

• Ensure staff are given the time to read, understand and discuss risk assessments.
• Ensure induction processes equip new educators with a clear understanding of burns prevention risks.
• Include burns prevention as a standing agenda item in staff meetings.
• Undertake regular practice audits and implement changes as required.

The following photographs are from recent incidents where two different children sustained different types of burn injuries.  These images are published with parental permission.

The two photographs below are a result of a chemical burn sustained after a child sat in a puddle of liquid leaking from an outside air-conditioning pipe while the unit was being serviced inside. The first photograph was taken immediately after the incident, and the second was taken four days later.

The photograph below was taken a few hours after the child stood on a steel access grate at an ECEC service on a 28°C day. The temperature of the grate was taken straight after the incident and exceeded 60°C.

Photograph taken a few hours after the child stood on a steel access grate on a 28°C day

As shown, both of these injuries are significant and required medical treatment.

No child should ever be exposed to risk of burns injury. There are no excuses or exceptions. Where ECEC services fail to meet their obligations to keep children safe from harm, ECRU can and will take appropriate enforcement action.

Resources

More resources on burns prevention are available:

• Education and Care Regulatory Unit - other resources
• Burn Prevention Education & Resources - Fiona Wood Foundation 
• Resources | Kidsafe WA