A two-year-old boy was accidentally locked in a daycare shed on a 30-degree day.
The boy was left alone in the shed at MercyCare Early Learning in Heathridge, Perth, for between 10 and 15 minutes on March 7 last year.
A worker packing up the play equipment closed the shed door while the toddler was still inside, a Department of Communities investigation found.
A two-year-old boy was accidentally locked in a daycare shed on a 30-degree Celsius day (file photo)
The child was only noticed missing when an older sibling passed by on the way home and could not see the relative. The Western Australia reported.
The boy was found lying on a piece of wood on the floor of the shed. He sweated and drank a large amount of water after being led out of the building.
A court found that MercyCare Early Learning had failed to properly supervise the boy.
It was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and $2,000 in legal fees.
“This action should serve as a warning for appropriate supervision to ensure children do not gain unnoticed access to places where they could overheat,” said Phil Payne, director of regulation and quality at the Department of Communities.
‘In this incident, the child was locked in a metal shed on a 30 degree Celsius day, which could easily have led to a different outcome.
“It is the responsibility of service providers to ensure that their staff follows supervisory procedures and policies to prevent these types of incidents.”
