Why Do Employers Need To Send Employees On First Aid CLASSES?

Every UK employer has a duty to protect their employees while they are working for them. Being an absolute minimum, employers must have a first aid box and an appointed person in charge in case of a crisis. Every employer also offers the responsibility to provide on-going information to their employees about medical. For most companies however, sending selected employees on first aid training courses proves to be the safest & most responsible approach to first aid in the workplace. An employee that is trained by an approved organization and holds a qualification in medical at work is an asset to their company and their fellow colleagues.

Depending on the size of the business, it's advisable for employers to send many their employees to attend first aid training courses so that there will always 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 just a legal obligation to make certain 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, which should be enough of an incentive for all employers, whatever the size or nature of their business, to send employees on first aid training courses. These courses could be conducted either on or off site and vary in length from half day refresher sessions to intensive three day courses. The best medical courses usually adopt a far more practical and practical 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 safe practices risks are much more likely to need a trained and qualified first-aider. In high risk workplaces, such as building sites for example, failure to provide first aid in the event of an emergency may create a tragic outcome.  Learn more here  in these situations which are injured or taken ill need immediate and adequate medical assistance before emergency services arrive, therefore these companies have to have trained first-aiders available on site always.

Low Risk Workplaces
Even workplaces which are considered low risk, such as small offices with fewer employees should consider sending their employees on first aid training courses. Employers have both a moral and legal obligation to implement medical in the workplace, regardless of the size of the company.

Legal duties
If employers neglect to implement medical procedures, they could end up running into trouble with regulations. MEDICAL and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to handle an assessment, considering workplace hazards, risks along with other relevant factors. As a result of this assessment, the Regulations require employers to provide 'adequate and appropriate' equipment, facilities and personnel, including sending employees to first aid classes if deemed appropriate. These Regulations connect with all workplaces including those with less than five employees (see 'Low Risk Workplaces' above).

Multiple First Aiders
It stands to reason that the more workers that employers send on first aid training, the better their chances will be of handling an initial aid emergency if the situation presents itself. Fortunately that when an employer believes they may not have sufficient trained first-aiders, it's easy enough just to send more of these employees on an exercise course. Some employers are reluctant to get this done however, believing that first aid courses are expensive and time consuming. In reality though, this is often not the case; first aid training courses can be completed in as little as half a day or up to three days, depending on the course. Which means that employers won't need to spend the 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 increasingly being fulfilled.