Every UK employer includes a duty to protect their employees while they are doing work for them. As an absolute minimum, employers should have a first aid box and an appointed person in charge in case of an emergency. Every employer also has the responsibility to supply on-going information with their employees about medical. For some companies however, sending selected employees on first aid classes proves to function as safest and most responsible approach to first aid in the workplace. A worker that has been trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in medical at work can be an asset to their company and their fellow colleagues.
With respect to the size of the business, it's advisable for employers to send several their employees to attend first aid classes so that there will be a qualified first-aider readily available should a situation arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending one or two visitors to become qualified first-aiders. Being an employer it is not only a legal obligation to ensure medical is sufficiently catered for, but in extreme circumstances it might mean the difference between life and death.
First aid training can 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 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. View website adopt a far more practical and practical approach, focusing on scenario based training methods that are designed to build confidence and offer very real and practical life-saving skills.
High Risk Workplaces
Workplaces where there are more significant health and safety risks are much more likely to require a trained and qualified first-aider. In high risk workplaces, such as building sites for instance, failure to provide medical in case of an emergency may result in a tragic outcome. Workers in these situations which are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical assistance before emergency services arrive, therefore these companies need to have trained first-aiders on site always.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces which are considered low risk, such as for example small offices with fewer employees should consider sending their employees on first aid classes. 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 fail to implement medical procedures, they could end up running into trouble with regulations. MEDICAL and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to carry out an assessment, considering workplace hazards, risks and other relevant factors. Due to 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 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 staff members that employers send on first aid training, the higher their chances will undoubtedly be of handling an initial 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 a training course. Some employers are reluctant to get this done however, believing that medical courses are costly and time consuming. The truth is though, this is often not the case; first aid training courses 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 part with large sums of money or lose key members of staff for extended periods of time.
Moreover, it means that those employers could have the peace of mind of knowing that their employees are taken care of and that the business's legal obligations are increasingly being fulfilled.