Employers and the self-employed have had to make significant adjustments to their workplaces due to Covid-19, ensuring all personnel (whatever their job description) can work in safety. From factories to schools, to a room in your own home, having someone with knowledge of first aid around is an extremely useful skill and can save lives.
In the UK, the 1981 First-Aid Health and Safety regulations apply to all workplaces, including self-employed and those with less than five employees. The regulations require that employers provide the appropriate resources in terms of facilities and personnel for immediate attention if a member of staff is taken ill or injured in the workplace.
Immediate and appropriate resources do not necessarily mean you have to have trained personnel. As long as the employer carries out a risk assessment and the proper first aid equipment is to hand along with a designated person to ensure that such equipment is up to date.
Accidents Do Happen
2019-2020 workplace accident statistics supplied from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):
- Fatalities at work - 111
- Workers sustaining a non-fatal injury - 0.7 million
- Non-fatal injuries to workers reported under RIDDOR - 65,427
- Work-related ill health (new or long-standing) - 1.6 million
- The number of working days lost due to work-related ill health (32.5 million) and non-fatal workplace injuries (6.3 million) - a total of 38.8 million!
It is an unfortunate fact that accidents can happen anytime, anyplace. They can have serious consequences for a business and every employer has a responsibility to make sure any personnel who becomes ill or has an accident receives immediate attention before the arrival of professional medical personnel. Having a trained first aider in your environment can save lives, time and money.
What Is A First Aider?
You might decide your company only requires having the necessary first aid kits available and someone responsible to stock and keep them up to date. But this alone might not provide an adequate response. In the example of a cardiac arrest—a trained first aider can be the difference between life and death. There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) in the UK each year. Prompt first aid is critical to that person’s survival while waiting for the emergency services.
The HSE says a trained first aider, is someone who has taken training appropriate to the workplace needs and level identified in the first-aid needs assessment of their workplace.
Levels Of First Aid Provision
- Appointed person (AP)
- Emergency first aid at work (EFAW)
- First aid at work (FAW)
- Additional training
The Role Of A First Aider
“Trained first aiders in the workplace are required to provide help to anyone who is injured or ill. To keep them safe and to cause no further harm.” (HSE)
Completing the appropriate training will give first aiders in the workplace the abilities to,
- Assess the situation quickly and adequately
- Protect yourself and the casualty
- Prevent infection between yourself and the casualty
- Comfort and reassure the casualty
- Assess the casualty and provide the appropriate first aid treatment
- Arrange for further help and assistance
Qualities Of A Good First Aider
If you want to undertake the first aider’s role at work, certain skills are necessary to deal with the situations they face competently and efficiently. These being,
Communication skills - Effective communication will allow you to reassure and calm the casualty, building trust between you. Good communication skills also enable the first aider to provide relevant information to attending emergency services.
Initiative and leadership skills - time is of the essence when dealing with an emergency. You are trained to take the lead. Key skills include trusting in your own judgement, the ability to use your initiative.
Ability to work under pressure - as a first aider, you can be called to attend to a minor injury—such as a cut finger. Or something more serious like a cardiac arrest. Keeping a calm demeanour allows you to react quickly to the situation while reducing the stress within the environment.
Teamwork skills - working alongside the emergency services or other first aider in a multi-casualty event is vital. These ensure a coordinated response, reassurance and reduction in stress and panic.
Having a glass-half-full approach - a positive approach to situations benefits the casualty, reassuring and calming. Plus, it helps in maintaining your own equilibrium, preventing you from getting mentally drained.
Levels Of First Aid Training
Not all courses for first aid in the workplace are the same. The level of skill required depends on the needs of your place of work. There are several courses and providers to choose from. You can also opt for online courses that cover the theoretical aspects of first aid training.
EFAW - Emergency First Aid At Work course.
This is a one day course for basic first aid. It is normally taken for those workplaces that have a low-risk assessment.
Approx cost, depending on provider £99 - £120
FAW - First Aid At Work
This course is usually over 3-days. The training also includes the EFAW program. This course is for those first aiders from higher-risk workplaces. It provides first aid training on a range of specific illnesses and injuries.
Approx cost, depending on provider £220 - £300
Paediatric First Aid Training
There are emergency paediatric courses usually covered in a day and a more in-depth 2-day course
Approx cost, depending on provider £20 - £120
Specialised First Aid Training
Dependent on the needs assessment but can include training in,
- Safe defibrillator use
- Mental health first aid
- Delivering medical oxygen
Costs vary as to venue and time.
Refresher Training
As with any skills-based practice, the need to refresh and refine your skills is important. Therefore, it is recommended that a trained first aider take an annual refresher course to keep their first aid certificate valid. You’ll also be staying compliant by updating your training.
