How to manage first aid at work

Employers have a duty to make sure employees get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work

 

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You must have a minimum of:

  • A suitably stocked first aid kit.
  • An appointed person to take charge of First Aid Arrangements.
  • Information provided to employees telling them about first aid arrangements.

We get asked what provision should we have in place?

This depends on the work you do, the equipment you have and where you do it.

Using this you need to make an assessment of your first aid needs:

Consider:

  • The type of work you do.
  • The hazards likely to cause harm.
  • The sizes of your workforce.
  • Working patterns (nightshift?).
  • Holiday and absence cover.
  • History of accidents within your business.

Other considerations might be:

  • Travelling and remote / lone workers.
  • Proximity of emergency services and any a defibrillation unit.
  • Other working sites you might have.
  • Any available shared First Aid provision available.
  • Members of the public.
  • Any vulnerable persons.

Training:

Use the findings of your assessment of needs to decide:

  • If you need someone trained in First Aid.
  • What level of First Aid training would be required.
  • How many people you should train.

Don’t forget to factor in refresher training along the way!

What to put in my First Aid Kit:

The contents of your kits should be decided on from your assessment of needs.

Low risk workplaces might have a minimum of:

  • General guidance leaflet.
  • Individual sterile plasters of assorted sizes.
  • Sterile eye pads
  • Triangular bandages
  • Safety pins
  • Large and medium sterile wrapped would dressings.
  • Disposable gloves

Make sure you know what should be in your kit, make sure you are carrying out regular checks of your kit – plasters often get used without telling anyone!
It’s a good idea to log your checks because with business as usual, you will think you checked more recently than you have and items go out of date!
Make sure you keep your kit in date and the contents topped up and ready to use.
Any used items must be disposed of safely to prevent contamination or ill health.
Keep your kit out of the way of any dirt or contamination and clearly identifiable to others in case you need to ask someone else to fetch it.
It’s a good idea to have accident report forms located nearby with instructions on how to report an accident too!

If you are unclear how to manage first aid, give us a call and we can help you assess your First Aid needs.