First Aid at Work

Introduction

This course is based on the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approved First Aid at Work course and complies fully with the stringent Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations established in 1981.

A detailed agenda of the course is listed below, but the course can be modified and tailored to your organisations specific needs. All candidates are provided with their own first aid manual for personal study both during and after the course.

Course Aim

Having completed the course, delegates will acquire an equivalent of the internationally recognised qualification, Health and Safety Executive First Aid at Work certificate. This certificate is valid for three years.

It is essential that all companies and establishments have fully qualified First Aid trained personnel in order to protect both their employees as well as the company themselves from litigation proceedings. The fact that this course is a legal requirement in the UK, illustrates the necessity and validity of such a course.

This comprehensive course ensures that the highest standards are achieved and maintained. Rather than a concluding assessment at the end of the course, delegates are continually and closely assessed on a formative basis allowing the trainer to ensure each individual's needs are catered for thereby guarantying their success.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, delegates will be able to:

• Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) confidently
• Position casualties into the correct recovery position to prevent further injuries
• Correctly diagnose causes of unconsciousness allowing the correct action to be taken
• Determine the likely causes of cyanosis and thus it's prevention
• Effectively treat burns and scalding to minimise damage and aid healing
• Dress and bandage wounds effectively
• Recognise the dangers of bleeding and how to stem it directly and indirectly
• Ensure that a first aid kit is well stocked and maintained
• Prioritise the treatment of multiple casualties (triage)
• Understand the importance of and operation of accident books
• Deal with suspected and/or confirmed fractures, sprains and strains
• Manage incidents effectively and safely
• Treat various eye injuries
• Aid casualties suffering from heart conditions

Course Content

Course content includes:

COURSE INTRODUCTIONS

COURSE OVERVIEW (Introductory Presentation)

• Roles and responsibilities of the First Aider
• • Legislation - including the Samaritans Act
  • First Aid risk assessments
  • Contents, quantities and locations of First Aid kits
  • Aims and objectives at incidents
  • Life preservation and prevention of casualty deterioration
  • Effective handover to more qualified persons

APPROACHING AND MANAGING INCIDENTS (Interactive Confidence Building)

• Incident assessment
• • Safe person concept
  • Hazards and risk assessment
  • Triage; Planning, Prioritising and Controlling
  • Confidence
  • Managing incidents; Managing people

THE BODY (Theory Session)

• The Respiratory System
• • The science of how we breathe
• The Circulatory System
• • Blood; its composition and its function
  • Blood; chemistry
  • Asphyxia
  • Cyanosis

CHOKING (Practical Session)

• Signs, symptoms and emergency actions
• Abdominal thrusts - adults
• Abdominal thrusts - minors and paediatrics

CARDIOPULMINARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) (Practical Session)

• Mannequin etiquette (only internationally acclaimed Laerdal mannequins are used in all CPR sessions)
• CPR - adults
• CPR - minors and paediatrics

THE RECOVERY POSITION (Practical Session)

• The recovering casualty
• Moving the casualty on your own
• • Spinal care
  • Crash helmet removal
• Moving the casualty with assistance

REVISION SESSION (Interactive and Practical Session)

• LiTheory question and answer session
• Practical session
• • Choking
  • CPR
  • The recovery position

UNCONCIOUSNESS (Interactive Theory Session)

• Causes of unconsciousness (their signs, symptoms and treatment)
• • Fainting
  • Infantile Convulsions (the session also discusses meningitis and croup)
  • Stroke - actions as recommended by The Stroke Association
  • Head Injuries - concussion and compression
  • Shock - traumatic, emotional, electric and anaphylactic
  • Heart Conditions - angina pectoris, coronary thrombosis
  • Asthma - including medication identification
  • Poisons - causes and treatment
  • Epilepsy - petit mal and grand mal
  • Diabetic Emergencies - hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia

REVISION SESSION (Interactive and Practical Session)

• Theory question and answer session
• Practical session
• • Choking
  • CPR
  • The recovery position
• Causes of unconsciousness

INJURIES (Theory and Practical Session)

• Dressing wounds
• • Bandaging
  • Dressings
  • Slings and splints
• Burns
• • Wet and dry burns
  • Treatment
  • How the age, size, depth and area affects the seriousness of the injury
  • Actions to be taken when a casualty's clothes are on fire
• Eye injuries
• Wounds
• Protection from cross-contamination
• • Dangers to the casualty and to the First Aider
  • Dangers of Hepatitis, HIV and other infections
• Bleeding
• • The treatment of nose bleeds
  • Penetrating chest and abdominal wounds
• Fractures
• • Skull - vault and base
  • Limbs and digits
  • Ribs
• Amputations
• Crush injuries
• Sprains and Strains
• Spinal injuries

AFTER THE EVENT (Theory Session)

• Accident books
• Casualty welfare

COURSE DEBRIEF (Interactive Session)

• Individual feedback
• Course finish

Certification

An Appointed Persons certificate is presented on completion of the course, subject to on-going assessment. This is an industry wide recognised qualification.