Rockingham’s Bluebird Early Learning Centre fined after child suffers second-degree burns from hot tea

The mother of a baby boy left with severe burns after he was scalded by a mug of hot tea left unattended by a childcare worker says it took more than 10 minutes for the daycare to call an ambulance, leaving her son in agony. Bluebird Early Learning Centre in Cooloongup was on Wednesday fined $25,000 for the April 30 incident which left then-16-month-old Mayson with second-degree burns to his forearm. Mayson was splashed with tea in a travel mug which had been placed by an educator on top of a mini-fridge within the child’s reach. According to an agreed set of facts in a case brought before the State Administrative Tribunal by the Department of Communities, Mayson suffered partial thickness second-degree burns after he pulled the mug onto himself. Instead of seeking urgent help, the educator wrapped the baby’s arm in a wet towel and took him to the yard. It was only when another staffer realised the seriousness of the burns that an amublance was called. His still-distraught mum Anita said she was horrified to learn her little boy wasn’t given first aid straight away, and still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “He suffered for so much longer than he should have, I can’t even imagine the pain he would have gone through. He had no skin left on his arm and I had to sit in the hospital with him during the COVID restrictions and hold him down while they scrubbed at the dead skin on his arm.” Ms Jennings said her son’s injuries are slowly starting to heal but he will have intensive scarring for many years. “At the moment he has quite bad scarring and has to wear compression sleeves for a minimum of two years,” Ms Jennings said. The childcare centre did not have a policy around hot drinks and it knew staff drank hot drinks from a travel mug but “did not consider it as a risk”. The painful accident comes less than a month after Gummi Bears Child Care Centre in Balcatta was fined $27,000 for an incident where boiling water splashed a child. The little girl required skin grafts for her painful burns. Ms Jennings said she thought Bluebird should have been fined more than the Balcatta centre because they didn’t administer first aid straight away. “I just think $25,000 was very unjust, especially when it was so avoidable,” she said. A spokesperson for the centre said the staff member in question is no longer employed by the service. “She was not stood down immediately as it was an accident, and that staff member was a valued member of the team who made an honest mistake.” Extra policies and procedures have been put in place and emotional and financial support had been provided to the family.