Every UK employer has a duty to protect their employees while they are working for them. As an absolute minimum, employers should 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 classes proves to function as safest and most responsible approach to medical in the workplace. An employee 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.
Depending on the size of the company, it's advisable for employers to send many their employees to attend first aid classes so that there will be a qualified first-aider readily available should a predicament arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending one or two people to become qualified first-aiders. As an employer it isn't only a legal obligation to ensure medical is sufficiently catered for, but in extreme circumstances it could mean the difference between life and death.
First aid training might help save lives, which should be enough of a motivation 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. The very best first aid courses usually adopt a more practical and hands on approach, focusing on scenario based training methods that are designed to build confidence and provide very real and practical life-saving skills.
Visit website where there are more significant health and safety risks are much 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 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 until the emergency services arrive, and so these companies have to have trained first-aiders available on site always.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces that are considered low risk, such as for example small offices with fewer employees should think about sending their workers on first aid training courses. Employers have both a moral and legal obligation to implement first aid in the workplace, whatever the size of the company.
Legal duties
If employers fail to implement first aid procedures, they could find themselves running into trouble with the law. MEDICAL and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to handle an assessment, considering workplace hazards, risks along with other relevant factors. As a result 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 apply to 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 workers that employers send on first aid training, the higher their chances will undoubtedly be of handling a first aid emergency if the problem presents itself. The good news is that when an employer believes they may not have enough trained first-aiders, it's easy enough just to send more of their employees on an exercise course. Some employers are reluctant to get this done however, believing that first aid courses are costly and time consuming. The truth is though, this is often false; first aid classes can be completed in less than half a day or around three days, based on the course. Because of this employers won't need to spend the 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 looked after and that the business's legal obligations are increasingly being fulfilled.