Changes To Benefit All

Forthcoming changes to the official requirements for First Aid at Work training.

Each year, 5.5 million people end up in Accident and Emergency when 3 million of them would have benefited from first aid treatment.
The current average response time of an ambulance on an 999 call is 7-8 minutes and someone with a blocked airway has just four minutes to live, it is very clear that trained first aiders at work can make the difference between survival and death.

The HSE carried out a simple investigation of first aid in the workplace and found the following –
• Employers were usually achieving compliance with the legal minimum rather than considering fully the needs of the workplace and there responsibilities to staff.
• General over all awareness was good.
• Deficiencies in the content and format of the regulations.
As a consequence, the HSE has developed new guidance which aims to deal with these problems. The changes were announced in April 2009 and will come into effect on the 1 October 2009

From the 1st October 2009

Emergency First Aider in the Workplace (EFAW)
Where an employer has found they need an appointed person under the old regulations, they may find that they need an Emergency First Aider in the Workplace (EFAW). This is a new course requiring one day of training and requalification every three years. This course is generally aimed at lower – risk premises.

HSE First Aid at Work (FAW)
This course covers the practical skills needed by a first – aider in the modern workplace. The course gives the student the confidence and knowledge to deal with first – aid emergencies. This course becomes three days and is valid for three years after successful completion of the assessment; it still covers the important life – saving techniques and treatment for minor injuries that are common in the workplace. This course is generally aimed at higher – risk premises.

HSE First Aid at Work (FAW) requalification
This course can only be attended by a student who still currently holds a HSE First Aid at Work certificate and it is still in date. This course will remain unchanged at two days and is valid for three years after successful completion of the assessment.

Annual refresher (AR)
This three hour session provides an opportunity to practice and update skills during the three year period as a qualified first-aider. The HSE strongly recommends that FAW and EFAW students attend these sessions annually. It is well established that life – saving skills fade over time and that regular refreshing of first – aid knowledge is beneficial. Therefore a three – day course with a half – day’s retraining each year is more effective than a four – day initial course with no contact until re – qualification in the third year.

To see full course details of all First Aid Training please go to www.actiontraining.co.uk

The Trainers at Action Training Services Ltd are highly qualified instructors and will ensure students will continue to be trained to all HSE standards.

Employers should check their record of accidents and ill health to assess the type of accidents that occur in their workplaces and where they happened. Shift work, sites with several separate buildings and the distance from emergency medical services may mean a higher number of staff need to be trained in first aid. We at Action Training Services make sure that students are given the confidence and knowledge to handle first-aid emergencies, including choking, resuscitation, sudden illness and a range of injuries. We also train first-aiders to use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), which can be used to shock the heart in the event of a cardiac arrest.

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