Christmas First Aid Tips!

Christmas can be an accident - filled time of the year; granny chokes on sprouts, electric shocks from tree lights because your daughter has been biting them, or burning your arm taking the turkey out the oven. 

Be prepared with our simple handy first aid guide!

If someone is choking, you need to give

• 5 slaps in the upper middle part of the back
• 5 abdominal thrusts

Standing behind the person (who should also be standing and leaning slightly forward) and encircle your arms around them, underneath their arms.  Hold your hands together at the top of their stomach underneath their breastbone, and give up to 5 sharp squeezes inwards and upwards.

This should cause the object to come out. If it doesn't, you should call 999.

If you burn your arm getting the turkey out of the oven immediately put your arm under cool  running water.  You should do this for at least 20 minutes.  You shouldn't use ice or freezing cold water as this may worsen any skin damage.

If dad gets an electric shock changing light bulbs on the tree, the most important thing to do is turn off the lights to remove the source of electricity straight away.  You shouldn't touch him - if he is unconscious, call 999 immediately.

Front Page 53 Degree Magazine

What a result for Action Training Services. Since winning the SME Business of the year award in Wigan for 2010.  Our leap into the bright lights has not stopped.  We are the best at what we do; quality training with prices to match http://www.53degreesonline.co.uk/
Its true we are winners.

Resignation by Lord Young of Graffham

Will we have a government health and safety adviser following the resignation by Lord Young of Graffham!! Lord Young resigned as the government’s enterprise tsar.

A Number 10 spokesperson was unable to confirm if lord Young will be replaced in his role as safety adviser to the prime minister.

The spokesperson confirmed he has stepped down as enterprise tsar but said: “His role as health and safety adviser ended when he finished his report”.

Lord Young previously said he would oversee the reforms outlined in his report, which include a registration scheme for safety consultants, and revisions to health and safety law, such as the regulations for reporting injuries.

Speaking last month at a seminar organised by Cardinus and IIRSM, Lord Young vowed that the document would not just end up on a shelf and said: “My job over the next year is to make sure it is implemented.”

His resignation takes immediate effect, following the controversy he caused on the (18 November) by saying most Britons had “never had it so good”, despite the recession. Number 10 said he reflected overnight on his position before offering his resignation.

He did not want to cause further damage to the government so he offered his resignation to the prime minister, who accepted,” the spokesperson said.

“The PM is grateful for the work he has done, particularly on the health and safety review"

Common Sense Common Safety, was launched last month and promised to curb the perception of a compensation culture in the UK.

Lord Young, a former trade and industry secretary in the 1980s, had already apologised for his remarks to the Daily Telegraph, in which he also said that the forecast of 100,000 public sector job losses a year was “within the margin of error” for an economy of 30 million jobs.

Wigan Small to Medium Enterprise of the Year

Winners - Winners - Winners - Winners - Winners - Winners

Action Training Services Ltd,

are

Wigan's Small to Medium Enterprise of the year

 2010.

Wigan's largest Provider of First Aid Training, providing businesses with First Aid, Health and Safety and Food Hygiene Training.

This award sought to recognise an SME from any industry that has been operating for at least 2 years.  Innovation, expertise and imagination are just some of the qualities that helped firms become shortlisted, together with a solid vision for the future growth of the company.  Action Training Services have faced enormous challenges even in the best of times, so to be nominated for this award in these exceptionally difficult economic times is a real achievement and one for which our company and staff feel very proud.
"The judges were impressed by the examples of businesses showing a strong belief in supporting the Wigan economy, buying and employing locally and above all promoting Wigan wherever they go.  We see this entrepreneurial spirit in the economic performance of Wigan compared with other areas across the Northwest.  We have seen a new business formed every day in the borough and jobs created help drive unemployment down" (Miranda Barker, Wigan President Greater Manchester Chamber.)

A Winning Combination

Winning is what we are all about putting the customer first with modern teaching styles in easy to understand format with prices to match. 

Congratulations to all those Nominees in our category;

AM Propert Management Ltd

Arbour Safety Management Ltd

Debtfocus

ProCo NW Ltd

Stephensons Solicitors

When Training is important and you need it to be right we at Action Training are the ones you want on site.

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Resuscitation Changes (Questions Answered)

Q: Why is there new CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) guidance?
A: Every five years Resuscitation Council (UK) consolidates research and current practice. At the conclusion of this research they make recommendations, if needed, on how CPR and other techniques, can be more effectively used to help people whose heart or breathing has failed.

Q: What are the changes to CPR?
A: People who are not trained in CPR could be the difference between a life lost and a life saved by carrying out chest compressions on cardiac arrest victims.

They don't need to worry about doing mouth to mouth, but calling for help and doing chest compressions means that something is being done, rather than nothing, while waiting for the emergency services or an AED (automated external defibrillator) – a machine which may shock the heart back into a rhythm – to arrive. This gives victims a better chance of survival. Our step-by-step training demonstrates how to give chest compressions and use an AED.

For people who are trained, they should use rescue breaths, because this is still the best method for those who know what they are doing. We encourage everyone to try and get training www.actiontraining.co.uk to give those who require first aid the best chance to live.

Q: Why has this change been made?
A: 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest each year outside of a hospital and yet only one-third receive bystander CPR. Too many people die when first aid could have given them a chance to live.

By ensuring untrained bystanders call the emergency services and an AED and perform chest compressions mean more people will be given a chance to live. Something is better than nothing although for those who are trained, they should continue traditional CPR with rescue breaths.

Q: Won't people be confused by the changes when they have always been taught to do breaths as well as chest compressions?
A: If you have been trained to carry out rescue breaths then the advice is that you should do what you've been trained to do.

Q: Won't they become brain dead with no breaths?
A: In most cases the casualty still has oxygen in the lungs and blood, and chest compressions will keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain, heart and other organs, for a limited time. The exceptions are when the victim has had breathing failure, eg. children, drowning when rescue breaths are required.

It is still better to be trained and carry out full CPR so you can be the difference between life and death but without training, chest compressions are better than nothing. Rescue breaths are especially important in children and victims of drowning.

Q: Do breaths cause damage?
A: Not at all and for people trained in how to carry out rescue breaths, this technique is the preferred method of choice.

Q: Why are people not want to do mouth-to-mouth?
A: Action Training Services believe that people are worried about giving a stranger rescue breaths, perhaps for fear of infection or because it's crossing a social barrier, but these new recommendations mean that people can feel empowered knowing that chest compressions only can help.

Q: Is this the only change?
A: People are being encouraged to ask bystanders to find a nearby AED as well as calling the emergency services. AEDs can safely be used by anyone without training, although this is encouraged.

Chest compressions are currently taught at a rate of 100 per minute but will be slightly faster at 100-120 per minute and approximately 1cm deeper at 5-6cm rather than 4-5cm.

Q: Is this RCUK advice something that Action Training Services approves of?
A: The RCUK sets the guidance for the UK and Action Training Services has always worked closely with the RCUK and other authoritative bodies.

Currently too many people are dying because not enough people know what to do.

Q: Are there any changes to AED protocols?
A: There are no changes to AED protocols.

There is strong evidence that early use of an AED on an unconscious casualty who isn’t breathing can save lives if their heart is in a certain rhythm. So the RCUK is saying that in an emergency situation anyone can use an AED effectively without prior training and it should be something people ask for at the same time as asking bystanders to call emergency services.




Important
The RCUK still encourages people to have training in the use of an AED as you don't want the first time that you use the machine to be in a stressful emergency situation. You will also need to know how to do CPR to use it effectively.

Q: If you haven't had training in AEDs how will you know what to do or if you’re doing it right?
A: AEDs are machines which analyse the heart and give a shock if one is needed to return it to a normal rhythm. They are easy to use and give you voice prompts to ensure that you don't shock someone who doesn't need a shock. As such, they are effective for people to use with no training, although we offer training if people would like it.

Q: Is what I did before wrong?A: No, the RCUK is saying that rescue breaths are the best method for people trained in them but if you haven't been trained have a go at compressions only

Q: Will they change again and if so when?
A: As all recommendations from the Resuscitation Council UK are based on research over a five year period, it is difficult to predict what breakthroughs may happen between now and 2015 so it may change again. The next announcement is expected in 2015.

Q: Do I need to book myself on a new first aid course?
A: You don't have to right now but as the HSE strongly recommends that all workplace first aiders and emergency first aiders attend annual skill refresher training.

Portable Appliance Testing scare tactics

A friend of mine Paul, called me recently to ask if he and his wife needed to have all their electrical equipment Portable Appliance Tested (PAT tested) for their business which they run from home.
They had received a telephone call from a local company to ask when the last time that their electrical equipment had been tested was. When Paul said he was not sure it ever had been, the caller (salesperson) told him to look at the plug to see what the date was on the stickers of their appliances. Since their equipment has been bought as and when they need it, generally from retailers there are no stickers with PAT test dates on them and this is where it gets interesting.
The caller then told Paul that since they are a business all their electrical equipment has to be tested by law so that they are compliant. The reason that it is interesting is that they are wrong.
What the law does state is that all equipment, electrical or not should be fit for purpose and that it should be inspected by a suitably qualified person at regular intervals.
Now the best time to inspect that something is safe is before it is used and in the case of electrical equipment this can be done in a variety of ways, the most obvious being a visual check of the leads and casing to see if there is any noticeable damage.
So what is a suitably qualified person? Qualification can be anything from someone who is experienced by their familiarity with using the equipment right the way through to an expert technical electrician with years of experience and a range of certificates to prove his or her proficiency.

To be clear there is not currently any legislation which states that all moveable electrical equipment has to be Portable Appliance Tested. There are several Acts of Parliament and Regulations that place responsibility on Employers and Employees to make sure that electrical equipment is maintained, safe and fit for the purpose that it is to be used for. 
 
So what should be done to make sure something is safe and will not cause harm to users and people who come into contact with it, either directly or indirectly?
As I mentioned earlier a simple visual inspection is the first step and anyone using electrical equipment is the best place to start. If there is any damage that could even remotely cause it to short circuit or overheat the appliance should not be used.


Beyond the visual check it gets more tricky and requires either technical knowledge, technical equipment or both. If the damage is inside the equipment casing or electrical circuitry, the only effective way of finding it is with equipment specifically designed to identify whether there is a breakdown in insulation or electrical continuity; a Portable Appliance Test.

Therefore although there is no legal requirement for electrical equipment to be tested, the easiest way to guarantee that equipment is safe is to have it tested by an electrician who is qualified to PAT test electrical equipment. By having electrical equipment tested there is always a formal record of the equipment and test dates as well, just in case there is ever any doubt about the suitability of a piece of apparatus.
Although as I have stated there are no requirements to have equipment PAT tested, there are standards set by some industries and electrical organisations to recommend frequencies for testing electrical equipment, such as companies hiring small tools, or taking electrical tools onto customer premises. In addition a lot of organisations set conditions to protect themselves, their property, third party contractors and visitors (which includes the general public), that any portable electrical equipment is PAT tested before it is taken on to their premises.
So my answer to Paul was “No you don’t need to have all your office equipment PAT tested but for your own benefit I recommend that you have any equipment that you could take into customer premises tested. Just so that if they do have a policy that everything must be tested, you won’t have the disruption of having to sort out equipment that has been tested”.
That said for people like Paul who generally only need to take a laptop with a presentation to a client and with the technological equipment that is available in a lot of organisations now, it is often possible to simply take a presentation to a client on a memory stick and the electrical safety of a memory stick, just does not apply.
To be sure that your electrical equipment is safe to use and that the required statutory tests are completed when they should be (PAT testing is only part of the process) or for any other aspect of your business safety contact Action Training Services Ltd or telephone us on 01942 270070.

Calls to shelve fuel duty rise on the 1st October

Government plans to raise fuel duty by 1p a litre on Friday (October 1) should be shelved, according to the AA.

Although average UK fuel prices have fallen for the fourth month in a row, drivers are still paying £4.36-a-tank more for petrol than a year ago.

A $6 leap in the cost of oil and a weaker pound during the past month have cast a shadow over the cost of filling up in the coming weeks, with the 1p a litre rise in fuel duty to petrol and diesel prices less than a week away.

The average UK price of petrol fell 1.27p, from 116.52 p a litre to 115.25, between mid August and mid September. This time last year, petrol cost 106.54p a litre. Diesel now costs 118.02p a litre, compared to 119.15 a month ago, and is now nearly 11p a litre more expensive than a year ago.