Continue reading has a duty to protect their employees while they are working for them. Being an absolute minimum, employers must have an initial aid box and an appointed person in control in case of an emergency. Every employer also has the responsibility to provide on-going information to their employees about medical. For most companies however, sending selected employees on medical classes proves to function as safest & most responsible approach to first aid in the workplace. A worker that has been trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in first aid at work can be an asset to their company and their fellow colleagues.
Depending on the size of the company, it's advisable for employers to send a variety of their employees to wait first aid classes so that there will be a qualified first-aider readily available should a situation arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending a couple of people to become qualified first-aiders. As an employer it isn't only 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 can help save lives, which should be enough of a motivation for all employers, whatever the size or nature of their business, to send employees on first aid training courses. 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 best medical courses usually adopt a far more practical and practical 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 there are more significant safe practices risks are more likely to need a trained and qualified first-aider. In high risk workplaces, such as for example building sites for instance, failure to provide first aid in the event of an emergency may result in a tragic outcome. Workers in these circumstances that 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.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces that 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 neglect 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 classes if deemed appropriate. These Regulations connect with all workplaces including people that have less than five employees (see 'Low Risk Workplaces' above).
Multiple First Aiders
It stands to reason that the more staff members that employers send on medical training, the better their chances will be of handling an initial aid emergency if the situation presents itself. The good news is that if an employer believes that they may not have sufficient trained first-aiders, it's easy enough merely to send more of these employees on a training course. Some employers are reluctant to get this done however, believing that medical courses are expensive and time consuming. In reality though, this is very often false; first aid training courses can be completed in as little as half of a day or around three days, according to the course. Because of this employers won't have to part with large sums of money or lose key members of staff for long periods of time.
Moreover, this means that those employers could have the reassurance of knowing that their workers are taken care of and that the company's legal obligations are being fulfilled.