First Aid Training Courses: Common Accidents In The Workplace

In the workplace, all employers have a duty of care to their employees and ensuring that staff have first aid training courses under their belt in case an emergency situation occurs in the workplace. You must be made aware of the health and safety practises of the business to ensure that you can safely comply with these. 

A risk assessment must be carried out on the workplace to ensure that there are enough first aiders in place in case of an emergency, we have more information on this in our requirements for first aid in the workplace blog, this includes what equipment is needed and this is decided on a per business basis. There is no one size fits all solution for first aid as every business varies in size, industry and premises as the precautions vary depending on these.

While there may be first aiders trained to respond to an emergency, the responsibility to begin first aid lies with the employer. 

There is no one time that an accident is more likely, they can happen to anyone at any time and having a staff force that is trained to deal with injuries is critical and could have the potential to prevent a minor injury progressing to a serious injury. There is absolutely no doubt about it, first aid saves lives every single day and they are a huge part of a business’s operations. A first aid course doesn’t last forever, they require requalification every 3 years.

There are obviously some workplaces that pose more risk than others and this will determine whether you should take our 3 day first aid course or the 1 day course. If you are unsure which you should sign up for then please get in touch and we can certainly discuss your options with you.

Cuts

The general rule of thumb in the case of an open wound is that if there is a large amount of blood, you call for emergency medical services straight away. With any cut, usually bleeding will stop when pressure is applied, if the bleed does not stop after 10 minutes of this then there could be a more serious injury that might not be immediately visible.

Burns and scalds

There is a common misconception about burns that you should put ice cold water on a burn, but this is not true. A burn should receive luke warm to cold water onto the site – never apply creams to a fresh burn.

If there is an object stuck to the skin, this should not be removed. Burns of the less serious nature can be treated with the typical first aid bag and within the workplace, but if there is a situation where there is a chemical or electrical burn could potentially require more medical attention.

Falls, slips and trips

One of the more common workplace injuries, the ‘fall,slip or trip’. Ranging in severity there are a few things that need to be assessed immediately if a colleague loses balance and falls:

• Assess if they can walk
• Check if they are breathing

If they can walk, they may have gotten off scot free or with a sprained ankle or other limb, which will require attention. If the person is no longer breathing after a fall, then immediate CPR must begin, if they are or begin to breathe again the injured party must be put into the recovery position.

If there is any speculation in any situation as to whether the person has fallen on their neck or spine, then the person should not be moved until the paramedics arrive on the scene.

Accidents Involving Machines

There are so many injuries that surround construction and machinery, often they are more serious and debilitating injuries. First rule of thumb in any situation involving machinery is to ensure that the machine is switched off to prevent further injury and assess the situation while calling for emergency medical assistance if necessary.

Loss of consciousness

If you find someone unconscious, there can be many reasons that this has happened. The first thing that you should do are remove any tight or restrictive clothing and check that the airways are clear from blockages. 

There are so many situations in life where emergency first aid is required, especially in the workplace and being trained in first aid could save someone’s life one day. We run through the above scenarios in great detail in our first aid courses and many more situations to ensure that you really are prepared for anything should it happen.