First Aiders & Your Company

In this helpful guest blog post from The Shire Clinic, you will find out exactly what first aid qualifications and facilities your company needs.

The amount of first aiders you need for your business depends on a number of things including:

• The industry
• High or low risk environment
• The amount of employees

There is a clear outline on the numbers your business needs.

The appointed person is a course ran over half a day and is suitable for people aged 16 and over for organisations that have a low hazard environment and have a small number of staff. The course includes:

• How to deal with an emergency
• Accident reporting
• Dealing with an unresponsive casualty
• Resuscitation
• Seizures

The emergency first aid at work course is an 6hr course that combines both theory and practical. The course includes:

• Responsibilities and reporting
• Assessment
• Dealing with an unresponsive casualty
• Minor Injuries
• Resuscitation
• Chocking
• Shock
• Wounds
• Epilepsy
• Burns

The first aid at work course is a 18hr course. The course also combines both theory and practical. The first aid at work course includes the contents of the emergency first aid at work course in much more detail plus more.

• Responsibilities and reporting
• Assessment
• Dealing with an unresponsive casualty
• Minor Injuries
• Resuscitation
• Chocking
• Shock
• Wounds
• Epilepsy
• Burns
• Fractures and Spinal injuries
• Poisoning
• Bandaging
• Heart attacks
• Head Injuries
• Chest injuries
• Chocking
• Asthma
• Wounds
• Stroke

In January 2017 both courses changed to also include CPR and AED.

All first aid courses a validated for three years after which they need to be renewed. The first aid at work course can be renewed under a refresher course which is two-day course where the basics are recovered and any changes in protocols are highlighted. It is also highly recommended that your first aider attends an annual refresher to keep up to date for the safety of your employees.

An important thing to remember as a business owner or as a manger this appointed first aider needs to be on site at all times, and therefore it is advised to have more than one person appointed due to holiday and sick leave.

For further information check out the HSE website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/legislation.htm

To find out more about the courses we run at The Shire Clinic click here and for any enquiries please email [email protected]