My name is Vandana Thanki and I’m a Marketing Assistant at 1st Option Safety Group. Last month, I took part in the Emergency First Aid at Work (Level 3) training course with 1st Option. After a six-hour intensive theoretical and practical learning journey, I was very proud of achieving a qualification in First Aid and here’s why:

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 states that employers must be able to provide suitable facilities, equipment and personnel to ensure that employees receive immediate attention when they are injured or ill at work. These regulations apply to all workplaces and self-employment, including organisations with less than five employees.

Organisations are required to carry out a risk assessment to ensure appropriate first aid is put into place. This assessment involves workplace hazards and risks, the size of the organisation and other relevant factors that could be harmful to employees and external visitors. This assessment will also help determine what type of support is needed, whether that is a first aid box, trained first aiders or even a first aid room.

The workplace may seem like a safe place to work but there can be risky situations. When an accident happens or your health and safety is not supported, who in the workplace has the correct skills and training to help your team?

Below I have written some of the key reasons why you should train your team in first aid:

Saves Lives

The British Red Cross found that only 5% of adults have the skills and confidence to provide first aid in an emergency. First aid gives your staff the confidence and the ability to react quickly to emergencies. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can save or even keep a casualty alive for a sufficient amount of time before the ambulance arrives. It’s all about those vital minutes that could change the fate of someone’s life.

Risks and Hazard Awareness

First Aid training helps in developing your staff’s awareness to potential hazards in the work place. This same training will aid in improving problem solving skills, which in turn will better enable your staff to manage the risks associated with identified hazards. The end result will be a decrease in incidents and injuries across all facets of your workplace.

Skills for Life

Once your training is complete, you will receive a certificate for your qualification. This certificate will keep you qualified for 3 years, even if you change your place of employment. A First Aid qualification is more likely to help your CV stand out too! Outside of work you’ll also be able to help saves lives. So there you have it! A short training course that will develop your skills for a lifetime. Want to train your team on our 1-3 day First Aid training courses? Then click here.

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