Every UK employer includes 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 offers the responsibility to supply on-going information with their employees about first aid. For most companies however, sending selected employees on first aid training courses proves to be the safest and most responsible approach to medical in the workplace. Visit website that has been trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in medical at work is an asset with their company and their fellow colleagues.
With regards to the size of the company, it's advisable for employers to send a variety of their employees to wait first aid training courses so that there will always be a qualified first-aider readily available should a situation arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending a couple of visitors to become qualified first-aiders. As an employer it is not just a legal obligation to make certain first aid is sufficiently catered for, however 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 a motivation for all employers, regardless of the size or nature of their business, to send employees on medical 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 very best first aid courses usually adopt a more practical and practical approach, concentrating on scenario based training methods that are designed to build confidence and provide very real and practical life-saving skills.
High Risk Workplaces
Workplaces where you can find more significant health and safety risks are much more likely to need 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 could well result in a tragic outcome. Workers in these situations which are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical attention before 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 consider 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 business.
Legal duties
If employers neglect to implement first aid procedures, they could find themselves running into trouble with regulations. MEDICAL 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 supply 'adequate and appropriate' equipment, facilities and personnel, including sending employees to first aid training courses 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 workers that employers send on first aid training, the higher their chances will be of handling a first aid emergency if the problem presents itself. Fortunately that when an employer believes that they may not have sufficient trained first-aiders, it's easy enough just to send more of their employees on an exercise course. Some employers are reluctant to do this however, believing that first aid courses are costly and time consuming. The truth is though, this is often false; first aid classes could be completed in less than half of a day or up to 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 being fulfilled.