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Absolute Health and Safety Solutions Ltd
A Practical Approach to Health and Safety |
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First Aid - what do you know? and what should you do?
You are in the office and there is a cry of pain from the adjoining desk, one of your colleagues has cut their hand badly with a pair of scissors whilst opening a package…, your boss is on the floor, clutching his chest and is gasping for breath, his skin is pale white/blue and is covered in cold sweat…you are in a restaurant and one of your family starts to choke…
Admittedly this sounds a little dramatic, normally the most exciting thing your normal day is finding a plaster from your desk draw to cover a paper cut to your own finger, but what if…?
Employers under The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 are required to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to enable basic first aid to be given to employees if they are injured or become ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces and to the self-employed.
“Adequate” - This will depend on the type of workplace, and includes whether trained first aiders are needed, what items should be included in a first aid box and if a first aid room is needed. Employers should carry out an assessment of first aid needs to determine this, if in doubt ask a competent person
"Competent Person" - Being an expert in their field by means of experience and/or the relevant training.
“First Aid” - Being a first aider may sound rather scary to you… you could be responsible for saving another person’s life. However it is much scarier not having any first aid knowledge at all: not knowing what you can do to at least try to help. First aid training is just that, it enables you to have the confidence to give someone the first in a series of steps of aid towards recovery.
No one will be expecting a medial diagnosis from you or to know how to perform surgery so when attending a first aid course only expect to be taught the basics. One of the most important things that you will learn is to reassure a ‘patient’, keeping them calm; this is vital, but certainly does not require medical training.
"Training Overview" - Your training will include how to help a choking person, when to get help (to call an ambulance or to take a person to hospital), you will also learn how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)- i.e. how to give mouth to mouth and how to keep blood circulating.
You will be taught how and why to move someone into the recovery position, how to bandage cuts and deal with burns. So when your employer asks if you would be prepared to go on a first aid training course think very seriously about saying yes, you will be a vital asset to your company and to all around you; it may not just be in the workplace that you are needed.
HSE Approved First Aid training courses are readily available, run throughout the year and in locations that should suit everyone e.g. those by Royal Berkshire Ambulance
As an employer you will have many questions, again the the HSE has already prepared FAQ earlier
Further information on First Aid at Work
If you are still unsure contact Absolute Health and Safety Solutions Ltd and we can assist you in conducting your own First Aid Risk Assessment and help you develop the necessary procedures to maintain adequate Firest Aid Provisions in your work place.
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