10 December 2004 - Analysis and Responses of First Aid Regulations
However, the consensus of respondents supporting the current framework and finding the regulations to be cost effective, state that understanding the system and it's workings could be improved and required further guidance from the HSE, with rejection of FAW being incorporated into other Regulations, as was also found to be the case in the Casella research findings.
The main recommendations from first-aiders were as follows:
- The Regulations and ACoP should not be changed
- The Guidance should be revised
- First aid courses should be restructured, with the single 4-day course replaced by a one-day course and a 3-day course. Employers would assess which course they needed
- HSE should approve the structure and content of first aid courses, and encourage the setting-up of an industry body. At present HSE approves first aid course providers but not the structure and content of courses.
The Head of the HSE's Occupational Health Support Unit commented:
"Significant change has taken place since the First Aid Regulations were introduced in 1981 - there are now many more small and medium sized businesses - and we are pleased to see that the framework continues to serve the needs of today's economy.
"The high level of constructive feedback we received from first aiders, trainers and employers gives us confidence in the review's conclusions and helps identify areas for immediate action and improvement. For example, we will now clarify areas of confusion such as first aid needs assessments, and consider ways of enhancing the approval system for training courses".
The report can be accessed by clicking the following - A Review and Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981(FAW)
Article by Alexandra Johnston
