Every UK employer has a duty to protect their workers while they are doing work for them. As an absolute minimum, employers must have a first aid box and an appointed person in control in case of a crisis. 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. An employee that has been trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in first aid at work is an asset with their company and their fellow colleagues.
Based on the size of the business, it's advisable for employers to send several their employees to wait first aid classes so that there will be a qualified first-aider on hand should a predicament 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 medical is sufficiently catered for, however 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, whatever the size or nature of these business, to send employees on first aid classes. These courses can be conducted either on or off site and vary in length from half day refresher sessions to intensive three day courses. First Aid Course Barrow-in-Furness adopt a more practical and hands on approach, focusing on scenario based training methods that can 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 more likely to require a trained and qualified first-aider. In risky workplaces, such as for example building sites for instance, failure to provide medical in the event of an emergency may result in a tragic outcome. Workers in these situations that are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical attention before emergency services arrive, therefore these companies have to have trained first-aiders on site all the time.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces which are considered low risk, such as small offices with fewer employees should think about sending their employees on first aid classes. Employers have both a moral and legal obligation to implement medical in the workplace, whatever the size of the business.
Legal duties
If employers fail to implement first aid procedures, they could end up running into trouble with the law. MEDICAL and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to handle an assessment, considering workplace hazards, risks and 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 medical classes if deemed appropriate. These Regulations connect with all workplaces including those with significantly less than five employees (see 'Low Risk Workplaces' above).
Multiple First Aiders
It stands to reason that the more workers that employers send on medical training, the better their chances will be of handling an initial aid emergency if the situation presents itself. Fortunately that if an employer believes that they may not have enough trained first-aiders, it's easy enough merely to send more of their employees on a training course. Some employers are reluctant to do this however, believing that first aid courses are costly and time consuming. In reality though, this is very often false; first aid training courses could be completed in less than half a day or up to three days, according to the course. This means that 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 peace of mind of knowing that their workers are looked after and that the company's legal obligations are being fulfilled.