Every UK employer includes a duty to protect their employees while they are working for them. As an absolute minimum, employers must have an initial aid box and an appointed person in charge in case of a crisis. Every employer also has the responsibility to provide on-going information with their employees about medical. For some companies however, sending selected employees on medical classes proves to be the safest and most responsible approach to medical in the workplace. A worker that is trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in first aid at work can be an asset with their company and their fellow colleagues.
Depending on the size of the business, it's advisable for employers to send a variety of their employees to wait first aid classes so that there will always be a qualified first-aider readily available should a predicament arise. Even small companies with fewer employees should still consider sending a couple of visitors to become qualified first-aiders. Being an employer it isn't only a legal obligation to ensure that first aid is sufficiently catered for, but in extreme circumstances it might mean the difference between life and death.
First aid training might help save lives, which should be enough of an incentive for all employers, regardless of the size or nature of these business, to send employees on medical 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. The best first aid courses usually adopt a more practical and practical approach, focusing on scenario based training methods that can build confidence and offer very real and practical life-saving skills.
High Risk Workplaces
Workplaces where there are more significant safe practices risks are much more likely to require a trained and qualified first-aider. In high risk workplaces, such as for example building sites for instance, failure to provide first aid in the event of an emergency could well create a tragic outcome. Workers in these situations that are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical assistance before emergency services arrive, and so these companies need to have trained first-aiders on site always.
Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces that are considered low risk, such as for example small offices with fewer employees should think about sending their workers on first aid classes. https://firstaidtrainingcumbria.co.uk/best-first-aid-course-near-me/ have both a moral and legal obligation to implement first aid in the workplace, regardless of the size of the business.
Legal duties
If employers neglect to implement medical procedures, they could end up running into trouble with the law. 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 training courses if deemed appropriate. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with 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 medical training, the higher their chances will undoubtedly be of handling a first aid emergency if the situation presents itself. The good news is that if an employer believes 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 very often not the case; first aid training courses can be completed in as little as half of a day or around three days, based on the course. Therefore employers won't need to part with large sums of money or lose key members of staff for long periods of time.
Moreover, this means that those employers will have the peace of mind of knowing that their employees are looked after and that the company's legal obligations are increasingly being fulfilled.