The thought of pests and vermin being seen in schools and nurseries would send most parents and their children into a panic.
But with kitchens, food stores, dining halls and bins – containing both food waste and baby’s nappies – providing ideal conditions for unwelcome visitors, it’s essential schools and nurseries have pest control measures in place.
The National Union of Teachers advises schools to have policies on pest control which cover stopping pests getting into buildings, looking for evidence of the presence of pests, putting adequate cleaning measures in place and giving a member of staff responsibility for pest control monitoring and liaising with the local authority environmental health officer.
Education staff resources are becoming increasingly stretched, so schools and nurseries can benefit from entrusting their pest control to a team of professionals. The NUT recommends employing the services of a BPCA accredited firm because they adhere to an established code of conduct and professional standards as well as ensuring that any pesticides or other toxins used to control infestations are safely administered without risk to children or staff.
“As members of the BPCA, we naturally adhere to the highest standards at all times, but we think there’s something else that pest control teams should invest in if they want to work in schools and nurseries,” said Martin Harvey, Managing Director of Harvey Environmental Services.
“We have paid for all of our pest controllers to undergo DBS checks confirming that they are all suitable to work in childcare environments. It is nurseries and schools’ responsibilities to ensure all staff within their settings, including contractors, are suitable to work with children, so for us to be able to readily be able to provide them with this evidence helps to ease their workload.”
One nursery which has benefitted from Harvey Environmental Services’ DBS checks is Little Blossoms of Barrowford. Owner Amy Sethi said:
“It’s really reassuring for us that the technicians employed by Harvey Environmental have already been cleared to work in our setting. They provide an essential service to us which ensures we meet all national pest control and food hygiene regulations – and with their support we’re proud to have the highest possible food hygiene rating.”
To find out more about working in partnership with a team of DBS cleared pest controllers, contact us on 01282 866554 or enquiries@harveyenviro.com
