Hands up if you’d know what to do if there was an accident in the workplace. While most of us would want to be the one to rush to help, not everyone has the knowledge nor the confidence to help.
Yet the first few minutes after the incident are crucial. It can be life saving. In the workplace, first aid knowledge is even more important. People can suffer injuries or be taken ill at any point and, whether the injury or illness is caused by the work they do or not, they may need immediate attention. If you’re an employer you need to be aware of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, which requires that employers provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their 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. An an employer, you would need to carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide. A short first aid training course can equip a member of team with all the skills and information needed to help in an emergency.
Learning Unlimited offers courses in first aid including: a one-day Emergency First Aid at Work course; and a more in-depth three-day First Aid in the Workplace course that provide the know-how on how to deal with an emergency situation.
The three-day course covers the basics needed in providing first aid in the workplace, whether that be dealing with shock, seizures, bleeding and choking to treatment of an unconscious casualty or resuscitating someone. The course looks at how to assess an incident, recognise the signs and symptoms of injury and illness, and looks at the specifics on how to assist casualties in different circumstances. It’s designed particularly for those who would like to become an official first aider in the workplace.
The next Emergency First Aid at Work course (1 day) takes place on Monday 11 February. The three-day First Aid at Work course takes place between 9am and 4pm on Monday 18 February to Wednesday 20 February. Both take place at Learning Unlimited’s Derby campus on Pride Park in Derby. Contact the Derby office to book your place or to find out about future courses.