Every UK employer has a duty to protect their employees while they are working for them. Being an absolute minimum, employers should have a first aid box and an appointed person in charge in case of a crisis. Every employer also has the responsibility to provide on-going information to their employees about first aid. For some companies however, sending selected employees on first aid training courses proves to be the safest & most responsible approach to medical in the workplace. An employee that has been trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in medical at work can be an asset with their company and their fellow colleagues.
Depending on size of the company, it's advisable for employers to send many 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 isn't just a legal obligation to ensure that first aid 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 their 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. Have a peek at this website adopt a more practical and hands on approach, concentrating on scenario based training methods that can build confidence and provide 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 circumstances which are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical assistance before emergency services arrive, therefore these companies need to have trained first-aiders available on site constantly.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces which are considered low risk, such as small offices with fewer employees should think about sending their employees 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 business.
Legal duties
If employers fail to implement first aid 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 provide 'adequate and appropriate' equipment, facilities and personnel, including sending employees to medical training courses if deemed appropriate. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with 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 medical training, the better their chances will be of handling an initial aid emergency if the situation presents itself. Fortunately that when an employer believes that they may not have sufficient trained first-aiders, it's easy enough merely to send more of these employees on an exercise course. Some employers are reluctant to get this done however, believing that first aid courses are costly and time consuming. In reality though, this is very often false; first aid training courses can be completed in less than half of a day or up to three days, with respect to the course. Which means that employers won't need to part with large sums of money or lose key members of staff for long periods of time.
Moreover, it means that those employers will have the satisfaction of knowing that their employees are looked after and that the company's legal obligations are increasingly being fulfilled.