Mark Bird is health and safety manager for childcare provider Childbase Partnership. He oversees health and safety at the company’s 44 nationwide nurseries and Newport Pagnell head office.
‘There’s an image of health and safety as something obstructive. But I’m keen to see it as enabling, particularly in the early years sector, where it’s important for children to take risks safely.
‘I’ve always worked in the profession, following my parents’ footsteps. After training, I worked in the construction industry, a charity, and moved to Childbase after a friend, now my colleague, told me about an opening.
‘People are often surprised when I say I work within nurseries. They ask, “How dangerous can it be?” But although the settings are low-risk environments, children are a high-risk group. When a fire alarm sounds in an office, adults can walk out. But in nurseries the babies can’t walk and pre-schoolers don’t appreciate what the alarm means.
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