First Aid provision..

My last post was on the new concussion guidance and it sparked a fair bit of interest. Personally, I think it is important that everyone has first aid training. It should be taught in schools and everyone should have a first aid qualification by the time they leave school.

I want to continue with first aid provision for employers.

Under mandatory legislation, all UK businesses must provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.

These provisions were laid out in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and apply to all workplaces, including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.

The 1981 act also sets out that all training would need to be approved by the HSE.

The law on First Aid changed on the 1st October 2013.

Since then, the HSE no longer approves first aid training, Training Providers or Qualifications.

This has caused some confusion for employers as to what is compliant and what isn’t.

In theory, this should give businesses more flexibility in how they manage their “provision of first aid in the workplace”.

In practice, it has opened the door for some trainers to sell low-cost, low quality training, which looks very attractive to businesses in the current financial climate.

Unfortunately, this cheap training often falls short of the needs of the employers First Aid Risk assessment and only comes with an “in-house certificate of attendance” issued by the training provider.

It is now the employer’s duty to ensure that all training, provided by an employer, is fit for purpose and that the training provider used is qualified and competent to deliver that training.

Failure to purchase quality training would leave the door open for both criminal and civil prosecutions.

Depending on your choice of provider, you will need to undertake varying levels of due diligence into the course content and how the provider will deliver the training you require.

Please note some providers are still using their unique HSE centre number on their stationary. These are no longer valid and are not proof of competence. Just because a training provider has, in the past, had HSE approval and carried out your training in the past, that does not guarantee they are fit for purpose under the new regulations.

The HSE website has free guidance and a check list for employers to help them with selecting a training provider.

(http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/approved-training.htm)

The guidance suggests that the easiest way to prove your diligence is to use a provider offering certification from an awarding body, as these qualifications are controlled by the qualification regulators – Ofqual (in England), the SQA (in Scotland) and the Welsh Government.

All our First Aid courses are awarding body regulated and come with nationally recognised qualifications, a full size certificate, a wallet sized laminated certificate and a certified CPD statement.

For a free consultation on First Aid Regulations, Firstid Risk Assessments or info on our upcoming HABC Level 3 in First Aid at Work (QCF), email gregory.gavin@gsgtraining.co.uk

Check out our video here,,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8evpux6GZI

Speak to you again soon…

Stuart

p.s

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