Why Invest in First Aid at Work?
Did You Know?
Founder and lead trainer for White Dog First Aid, A.J. Yates not only has over forty years’ experience of first aid with St John Ambulance, but has a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (Post Compulsory Education) from Oxford Brookes University, and a Postgraduate Certificate of Special Study in Supporting Learning from the University of Westminster.
AJ is also registered with NUCO Training, the UK’s leading independent company that offers compliance instructor training.
Comply with your legal requirements:
- Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, you have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees.
- According to the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require you to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure your employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.
- What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. You should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
Select an Appropriate First Aid Training Provider
- When your first-aid needs assessment indicates that trained first-aiders are required, the training should meet the required standard.
- As the Health and Safety Executive no longer approves first-aid training and qualifications, you’re expected to carry out due diligence when selecting first-aid training providers.
These checks should include:
- The qualifications expected of trainers/assessors
- monitoring and quality assurance systems
- teaching and standards of first-aid practice
- syllabus content
- certification.
Protect the Health of Your Employees
- According to the Red Cross, only one in 20 people would know what to do in a first aid emergency.
- The Red Cross also report that up to 59 per cent of deaths from injury could have been prevented if first aid was given before the emergency medical services arrived.
- First aid not only prevents death – prompt treatment also promotes recovery, reducing the amount of time that people need to be out of the office.
- Having competent first aiders in your organisation instils confidence that you have everyone’s best interests at heart, and are a competent employer.
The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people from unfair treatment. This includes many people with a mental health issue, someone is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial, adverse, and long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. from Oxford Brookes University, and a Postgraduate Certificate of Special Study in Supporting Learning from the University of Westminster.
Since November 2018, the Health and Safety Executive have amended their first aid needs assessment to include mental ill health.