Could your employees be at risk?

Do you have a designated first aider on your work premises?  Every job can be affected by health and safety so you need to make sure you take the appropriate measures to keep your workplace safe.  This involves having an up-to-date designated first aider on the premises at all times.  

It's difficult to work out whether your employees are at risk without undertaking proper analysis.  Supervisors, Managers and ultimately Directors are responsible for ensuring appropriate risk assessments are carried out.  No workplace is entirely risk free, whilst we have previously discussed accidents which could take place on construction sites, we rarely consider accidents which could take place in the office.  There are lots of risks in an office which need to be considered.  For example, you could slip on a piece of paper on the floor, or scold yourself with a hot cup of coffee.  When accidents do occur you need to know what to do, or have someone around who can help.  

When working in retail, there is always a designated first aider to hand in case there is an accident in store with staff members or the general public.  However, offices whom don't entertain the general public will often not bother to train staff in basic first aid.  

Good and safe working conditions is something that many potential employees look at when searching for a job.  This includes being safe in the knowledge that someone can perform first aid if necessary.  As we have come out of the recession, more and more employers are having to look at added incentives to attract employees.  This has meant clamping down on first aid regulations and ensuring enough staff members are trained in first aid.  

First aid training courses can be undertaken by all sorts of people.  There has been much debate in the media recently stating that children should learn first aid from an early age.  This would then mean they are able to deal with an emergency situation should one arise.  Youngsters could then take Refresher courses as they move into Secondary school which would allow them to 'fine tune' their skills and be aware of any regulation changes.  Of course, for some of us it's too late to learn first aid as a child.  However there are still plenty of emergency first aid courses which can be undertaken.  

Are you looking for a first aid course?  What do you think about children learning first aid?  Let us know on our Social Media pages.