First aid can save lives and prevent minor injuries becoming major ones.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations impose a legal duty on employers to make arrangements to ensure that their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work and that an ambulance is called in serious cases, irrespective of whether the injury or illness is caused by the work they do.
The Council recognises and accepts this duty and its Policy HS 9 – First Aid at Work reflects its commitment to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure that its employees can be given immediate help if they are injured or taken ill at work.
As part of that commitment the Council will provide information and training on first aid to employees to ensure that statutory requirements and the needs of the Council are met.
The Regulations, and the Council’s Policy, cover the arrangements that need to be made to manage injuries or illness suffered at work. Neither the Regulations nor the Policy prevent any employees who are specially trained, such as registered doctors, nurses and paramedics, from providing treatment to anyone who is injured or taken ill.
Although the Regulations do not impose a duty on the Council to provide first aid for non-employees, for example pupils in schools, visitors to leisure centres, etc., it is the policy of the Council to do so. However where first aid provision is intended to cover both employees and non-employees, it must be ensured that the level of provision for employees does not fall below the standard required by the Regulations, and that the level of provision for non-employees complies with any other relevant legislation and guidance.
The Council, through its insurers, will provide indemnity to its first aid personnel who, whilst on duty for the Council, assist employees or non-employees who are injured or become ill.
The level of first aid provision required in any workplace will need to be determined by undertaking a first aid needs assessment.
Issues that will need to be taken into consideration include the nature of the work activities undertaken, remoteness of the workplace, annual leave and other absences of first aid personnel, etc.
The level of first aid provision includes the number of first aid personnel and their degree of training, the number, size and content of first aid kits, whether a first aid room should be provided, etc.
Guidance on carrying out a first aid needs assessment, together with guidance on such issues as the recording of incidents/accidents, information for employees, etc., can be found in both the Regulations and the Policy.
Advice on first aid can be obtained from the Corporate Health and Safety Team, Ty Elai, Williamstown, CF40 1NY, telephone number 01443 425531 or email healthandsafetyteam@rctcbc.gov.uk.