First Aid at Work Training – A Notice For Employers And Training Providers

[Waterbaby]

"This is a joint statement by the Health and Safety Executive and the *First Aid at Work Quality Partnership (FAWQP)

It has been brought to the attention of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that some organisations seeking to commission First Aid at Work (FAW) training have required the training to be delivered over significantly shorter time periods than those recommended in HSE guidance and with student/trainer ratios that could compromise the effectiveness of the training.

The HSE guidance strongly recommends that First Aid at Work training (FAW) should be for 18 hours over a minimum period of 3 days and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) 6 hours over a minimum of 1 day. FAW requalification training should be for 12 hours over a minimum of 2 days, and all of these recommended periods exclude breaks." and continues :

https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ns/251d845

Selecting a first-aid training provider: A guide for employers GEIS3
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis3.pdf?u ... &utm_term=

WB

[stephen1974]

First aid qualifications should be made modular to suit the business needs and not be restricted to FAW or EFAW.

[Andyblue]

It’s good to have guidance, and the idea that longer time may be needed, suggesting it is due to volume of students. It fails to mention or consider the small ratio training for small companies where a 1:2 or similar means that a real world course time could be significantly reduced.
“Time in class” is never the best factor in deciding if a course has been satisfactorily communicated.

[stephen1974]

I'm coming across this issue more and more at the moment. 'Lean' companies do not want their employees taking time off for training. Yes, they are legally required to do this, but the reality is, many of them see the risk of not doing it is acceptable when they look at the cost involved in 'wasted' man hours, especially when in a 5 year period they may have had a couple of paper cuts and a bumped noggin as their only first aid incidents.

Another problem is a lot of businesses fall between the requirements of needing a FAW and an EFAW, forcing them to take the longer, and more expensive, FAW where a good chunk of what they are taught (The illness and disease side) is not necessary.

We need to see more industry specific training, a bit like you see with lifeguard training (though that does cover almost as much as FAW it does differ in some ways and has far greater emphasis on pool injuries for obvious reasons). Unfortunately it seems it is a little difficult for trainers to create their own courses. I can understand why, there needs to be certain minimums, but I dont see why you can't do the minimum, with some extras. In fact, HSE guidances suggests this is possible, but its seems accreditors don't to allow it.

[Keith1983]

Another problem is a lot of businesses fall between the requirements of needing a FAW and an EFAW, forcing them to take the longer, and more expensive, FAW where a good chunk of what they are taught (The illness and disease side) is not necessary.

I still don't think it's made clear when which course is required. I appreciate the guidance mentions low risk workplaces in regards to EFAW but if a business has an excellent record in regards to a low number of accidents / incidents then regardless of their activity type could it be argued that they are low risk?

[stephen1974]

I think you have to look at the severity and nature of the injuries that COULD happen. I've been qualified as a lifeguard and had to go through 1st aid training every month because you cant afford to get it wrong if someone is drowning, yet in the 4 years I managed leisure centres I never once had to pull someone from the water. Most centres will never have a drowning, but you cant call it low risk and go with a lower level of first aid.

Same with heavy machinery. The potential severity means you need a high level of first aid cover, just in case.

I've also worked in places where we have hundreds of injuries a year, yet there I would have no problem with a person with a lower level of training, partly because the types of injuries we delt with were not generally not severe, and partly becasue with so many to deal with, doing is better than listening.

[stretch3144]

My workplace deals with heavy machinery, and lots of sharp edged metal, so I enrolled myself and a colleague on a Catastrophic Bleeding Control course, to learn how and when to use tourniquets or haemostatic dressings. I have seen one serious bleed accident since being here and normal first aid bandages/dressings were inadequate to control the bleeding.
It would be good to see Cat H being included in the FAW courses.