Ensuring you have a dedicated first aid person or team in the workplace is a vital part of business, but how do you know what level you need to make sure you’re covered in an emergency? In today’s post, we’re going to look at what to consider when looking to appoint a first aid role within your business, and how you can select the right first aid training course to suit.
Step One: Consider The Regulations
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 shows the key aspects of first aid that employers will need to consider in order to keep employees safe within the workplace. They state that employers are required to provide ‘adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.’ This applies to all businesses, including those with fewer than 5 employees and the self-employed.
‘Adequate and appropriate’ first aid measures depend entirely on the circumstances of each individual business – so you would need to carry out an assessment of the workplace in order to determine what your business needs.
Step Two: Complete A First Aid Needs Assessment
HSE has a useful guide for assessing the first aid needs of your workplace, which includes everything you need to understand the demand for first aid in the workplace. They list the following factors for consideration:
- The Nature Of The Work And Workplace Hazards And Risks;
- The Nature Of The Workforce;
- The Organisation’s History Of Accidents;
- The Size Of The Organisation;
- The Needs Of Travelling, Remote And Lone Workers;
- Work Patterns;
- The Distribution Of The Workforce;
- The Remoteness Of The Site From Emergency Medical Services;
- Employees Working On Shared Or Multi-Occupied Sites;
- Annual Leave And Other Absences Of First-Aiders And Appointed Persons;
- First-Aid Provision For Non-Employees.
Step Three: Appoint First Aider/s
Once you have identified the main needs for a first aider, you can decide who will fit the role best. Here are a few things to consider when choosing the right candidate:
Availability: Will they be available for this role while continuing their normal work?
Ability: Are they physically able to perform first aid when necessary?
Capability: Are they capable of fulfilling this role and staying calm in tense situations should they arise?
Willingness: Are they willing to take on this role and do they want to do it?
Another thing to factor in is how many you need – think about annual leave, absences and shift patterns. Will there be somebody on site at all times?
Step Four: Find The Right First Aid Course
Now you know more about the businesses needs for first aid, you can decide what course is best for your workplace. Below we have listed some of the first aid training courses we offer in Scotland:
Emergency First Aid At Work Course: This is a one day course that covers emergency situations to give learners a basic understanding of first aid.
First Aid At Work Course: This is a 3 day course that offers the highest first aid qualification there is and meets the HSE First Aid At Work regulations.
Mental Health First Aid Training Course: This is a 2 day course that gives you an understanding of mental health in the workplace and how best to help with it.
We also offer E-learning options for a wide range of courses, from Elementary Food Hygiene course to IOSH Managing Safely Online. We hope this helps you and your workplace to take the right steps to becoming a safer workplace, and if you have any questions you can get in touch with us via email, phone or fill out our contact form.
