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As a Training Provider delivering various Accredited First Aid courses, I often find organisations and businesses are confused about what kind of First Aid training they should provide, or even whether to provide First Aid training at all.
This regularly results in employers putting off the decision, and so not meeting their legal First Aid at Work requirements.
Reasons Why?
1. Saving Lives
2. Reducing the Number of Accidents in the Workplace
3. LEGAL REQUIREMENT – avoid prosecution!
First aid gives your staff the confidence and ability to react effectively with someone suffering from an accident, injury or illness before professional medical help arrives.
It can prevent minor injuries becoming major ones. Immediate and appropriate first aid can save lives.
For example every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent. Performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival in some cases (BHF, 2018)
As employees gain confidence and clarity through training they become much more safety aware; hazards and potential incidents spotted before they occur and First Aid kits maintained properly and used effectively.
This collective awareness helps reduce the number of accidents that occur in the workplace. Rapid reaction to illness or injury, whilst waiting for medical assistance arrives, saves lives and reduces recovery time of the patient, benefiting both employee and employer.
There has also been found tangible benefits for employees in knowing that first aid cover has been catered for (Research Report 069, HSE, 2004).
HSE (Health and Safety Executive) will prosecute in cases where there is a significant risk, a disregard for established standards or persistent poor compliance with the law.
Rochdale plastics manufacturer TS (UK) was fined £140,000 after a worker was crushed to death by a one-and-a-half tonne pallet of polypropylene.
The firm admitted failing to ensure the safety of its employees, and not having a trained first aider on duty.
As an employer you may not feel there is a risk of killing your employees, but employers are fined by HSE every day - Logistics firm Palletways (UK) must pay more than £100,000 in fines and costs after “a string of management failings” delayed access to medical treatment when a forklift driver broke his neck.
The HSE’s investigation found that though Hill was bleeding from a visible head wound, the depot manager did not know who the first aiders were?
The fines vary in severity depending on the type of offence, and can be administered if a company is found to be in breach of any of the guidelines set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Under The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 regardless of the size of the company, employers are legally obliged to plan for the assessment of need and provision of first aid in the work place.
These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed. This involves consideration of workplace hazards and risks, the size of the organisation and other relevant factors to determine what First Aid equipment, facilities and personnel should be provided.
As an employer you must ensure your employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. You must provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to deal with emergency situations and to provide aid before further support arrives.
Employers must make sure that someone is always available and suitably trained to give or arrange first aid in the work place.
This applies if the designated first aider is absent for any reason. There should be a sufficient number of suitably trained personnel available to cover First Aid during all working hours on all sites.
Please call us to aid you with you assessment of need or visit the website to see which course/ courses are correct for your organisation: m: 07950 353 133 t: 01395 542220 info@ampliotraining.co.uk
To book a course simply telephone/email or follow this link: http://ampliotraining.co.uk/booking.php
