Every UK employer has a duty to protect their workers while they are doing work for them. As an absolute minimum, employers must have an initial aid box and an appointed person in control in case of a crisis. Every employer also offers the responsibility to provide on-going information to their employees about first aid. For most companies however, sending selected employees on first aid training courses proves to be the safest and most responsible approach to first aid in the workplace. A worker that is trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in medical at work is an asset with their company and their fellow colleagues.
According to the size of the business, it's advisable for employers to send a number of their employees to wait first aid training courses so that there will be a qualified first-aider on hand should a situation arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending one or two visitors to become qualified first-aiders. As an employer it is not just a legal obligation to ensure that medical is sufficiently catered for, but in extreme circumstances it might mean the difference between life and death.
First aid training might help save lives, that ought to be enough of an incentive for all employers, regardless of the size or nature of these business, to send employees on first aid classes. These courses could be conducted either on or off site and vary in length from half day refresher sessions to intensive three day courses. The very best first aid courses usually adopt a far more practical and hands on approach, concentrating on scenario based training methods that can build confidence and offer very real and practical life-saving skills.
High Risk Workplaces
Workplaces where you can find more significant safe practices risks are much more likely to require a trained and qualified first-aider. In high risk workplaces, such as building sites for example, failure to provide medical in case of an emergency may result in a tragic outcome. Workers in these situations which are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical attention before emergency services arrive, therefore these companies need to have trained first-aiders available on site constantly.
First Aid Courses Blackpool Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces that are considered low risk, such as small offices with fewer employees should consider sending their workers on first aid training courses. Employers have both a moral and legal obligation to implement first aid in the workplace, regardless of the size of the company.
Legal duties
If employers fail to implement medical procedures, they could find themselves running into trouble with the law. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to carry out an assessment, considering workplace hazards, risks along with other relevant factors. Because of this assessment, the Regulations require employers to supply 'adequate and appropriate' equipment, facilities and personnel, including sending employees to first aid classes if deemed appropriate. These Regulations connect with all workplaces including people that have significantly less than five employees (see 'Low Risk Workplaces' above).
Multiple First Aiders
It stands to reason that the more workers that employers send on first aid training, the better their chances will be of handling an initial aid emergency if the problem presents itself. Fortunately that when an employer believes they may not have enough trained first-aiders, it's easy enough just to send more of these employees on an exercise course. Some employers are reluctant to do this however, believing that first aid courses are expensive and time consuming. The truth is though, this is very often not the case; first aid training courses can be completed in less than half of a day or up to three days, depending on course. Therefore employers won't have to spend the large sums of money or lose key members of staff for extended periods of time.
Moreover, it means that those employers will have the reassurance of knowing that their employees are taken care of and that the company's legal obligations are increasingly being fulfilled.