FAQs

First Aid is defined as the help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available. Effective emergency treatment before professional help arrives can go a long way to reducing the effects of illness and injury and indeed save someone’s life. The responsibilities of a First Aider include assessing the situation, protecting from danger, getting help, prioritising treatment and minimising infection risks.

First aid provision must be ‘adequate and appropriate in the circumstances’. This means that in the workplace you must provide sufficient first aid equipment (first aid kit), facilities and personnel at all times. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) cannot tell you what provision you should make for first aid as every work place is different. The employer is best placed to understand the exact nature of their workplace and a First Aid Needs Assessment must be done to decide the level of First Aid provision.

The First Aid Needs Assessment should consider the circumstances of your workplace, workforce and the hazards and risks that may be present. The findings will help you decide what First Aid arrangements you need to put in place.

Things that employers should consider are:

• Nature of the work and workplace hazards and risks

• Nature of the workforce

• Organisation’s history of accidents

• Size of the organisation

• Needs of travelling, remote and lone workers

• Work patterns

• Distribution of the workforce

• Remoteness of the site from emergency medical services

• Employees working on shared or multi-occupied sites

• Annual leave and other absences of first-aiders and appointed persons

• First Aid provision for non-employees

   

Speak to us for further guidance if you are unsure on how much First Aid provision you should make.

Due to changes to workplace First Aid this course has been replaced by the Emergency First Aid at Work course.

After 3 years of the date on the certificate (or within a month of expiry) you can attend a re-qualification course. This covers the same topics as the original course but in a reduced amount of time. There is also a recommended option of attending a short refresher course annually. If you have a qualification gained from a different certifying body we can still re-qualify you as long as we are provided with a copy of your current certificate prior to booking your place on the re-qualification course.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require an employer to provide suitable First Aid cover in the workplace. This includes:

• Carrying out a First Aid Needs Assessment to decide where, how many and what type of First Aiders are needed.

• Providing training and re-qualifying training for their First Aiders.

• Providing sufficient First Aid kits and equipment for their workplace.

• Ensuring that all staff are aware of how and where to get First Aid treatment.

There are two levels of First Aid course for workplaces. Before deciding which level to choose a First Aid Needs Assessment must be carried out. The two levels of HSE recommended First Aid course are:

• Emergency First Aid At Work (1 day)

This short course is for lower risk workplaces. It covers emergency protocols only and is suitable for nominated First Aiders. The aim of the Emergency First Aid at Work qualification is to enable a candidate to be able to act as an appointed person to take charge of the First Aid arrangements, including looking after the First Aid supplies and calling the emergency services when required. It meets the standards required to help comply with Health and Safety (First aid) regulations.

• First Aid At Work (3 day)

This course is for higher risk workplaces, the course is longer and covers more topics. The First Aid At Work qualification aims to create a level of competence in First Aid skills for the workplace. This course provides confidence in delivering the practical skills needed by First Aiders in most workplaces. It meets the standards required to help comply with Health and Safety (First aid) regulations.

This will depend on the results of your First Aid Needs Assessment. Remember to take into account holidays and sickness so you have adequate First Aid cover at all times.

Emergency First Aid At Work is a 1 day course covering:

• Assessing the situation and circumstances in order to act safely, promptly and effectively in an emergency.

• Administering First Aid to a casualty who is unconscious, having a seizure, choking, wounded and bleeding or suffering from shock.

• Carrying out Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

• Provide First Aid care to a casualty for minor injuries including small cuts, grazes, bruises, minor burns, scalds and small splinters.

• Use of available equipment.

• Understanding the importance of preventing cross-infection.

• Understanding the need for recording incidents and actions.

   

First Aid At Work is a 3 day course covering:

• Understanding the legal framework for First Aid provision at work.

• Ability to act safely, promptly and effectively when an emergency arises in the workplace.

• Ability to administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) promptly and effectively.

• Administering First Aid safely, promptly and effectively to a casualty who is unconscious, wounded or bleeding, burned or scalded, suffering from bone injury, muscle injury, joint injury, shock, eye injury, poisoned, or overcome by gas/fumes.

• Transporting a casualty to safety as required by the circumstances of the workplace.

• Recognition of minor illnesses and taking appropriate action.

• Maintaining records and providing written information to a doctor or hospital if required.

• Understanding the importance of personal hygiene in First Aid procedures.

• Demonstrating the use of First Aid equipment provided in the workplace.

Our courses are certified by the recognised awarding body Safety Training Awards (STA). Safety Training Awards is the awarding organisation name of the Swimming Teachers’ Association, founded in 1932 and the world’s largest independent swimming teaching and lifesaving organisation. STA delivers high quality training across four key business areas – Swimming Teaching, Lifesaving, First Aid and Leisure Management. The objective of STA is ‘the preservation of human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques.’

Our trainers are all qualified and validated by Safety Training Awards to undertake all our training courses.

Ofqual is an independent organisation reporting directly to the UK Parliament. They are responsible for the regulation of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. Ofqual Recognition Number RN5168.

For your convenience, dates, times and duration of courses are flexible and courses can be held at your workplace. We also offer open courses which are held in a central Cardiff location.

Our courses are assessed by various methods including continuous observation by the trainer and written assessments. There is no longer a requirement for a final practical assessment. The information on specific course pages gives the assessment method used on that particular course.

Candidates will need to have a basic grasp of English. If English is not a first language then please let us know in advance and we will try and accommodate your needs dependant on the time available and the number of people attending the course.

As all First Aid courses involve practical aspects it is best to wear comfortable clothing! Our courses are delivered in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

Candidates must be 16 years of age or older.

The most common cause for a heart to stop is a ‘heart attack’ (cardiac arrest) and it is usually because it has interrupted the heart’s electrical impulses. Treatment can be given by delivering a controlled electric shock through the heart using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). It is a safe, reliable and computerised device that can analyse heart rhythms and enable a non-medically qualified rescuer to safely deliver the treatment.

The use of a defibrillator can dramatically increase the chances of survival if a casualty’s heart stops beating, but it must be used promptly. For every one minute delay in delivering the shock the chance of survival reduces by up to 10%. The risk of death can be reduced if you have a defibrillator in your workplace and know how to use it.

Training in the use of defibrillators are included in Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work courses.

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