Why Does My Work Need Me To Do My First Aid Certificate?
Workplaces need to adhere to the first aid in the workplace code of practice
You may have started a new job or are thinking of changing careers? Whatever job you do, it may not necessarily seem ‘high risk’ or dangerous, but regardless of this, most workplaces have a first aid requirement.
It depends on which type of workplace you work in as to what the requirements are. Construction, for instance, will need more people qualified with their first aid certificate, than an office environment which is deemed more low risk.
First aid training should be undertaken with an accredited first aid training centre that can meet the needs of your workplace, including being flexible with any learning needs of the employees who work there.
Do you have a first aid kit for workplace?
Most places don’t have a duty nurse or doctor onsite, so for a workplace it is considerably more cost effective to have a set amount of first aiders on each shift than employ a nurse or doctor in case of an accident.
First aid training is a legal requirement for employees and is in compliance with the Work Health and Safety Regulations. Employees of all workplaces must have access to first aid equipment in the form of a suitable first aid kit and facilities, as well as trained first aiders.
The NSW Government CODE OF PRACTICE FIRST AID IN THE WORKPLACE states that ‘A PCBU must ensure:
- provision of first aid equipment
- each worker at the workplace has access to the equipment
- access to facilities for administering first aid
- an adequate number of workers are trained to administer first aid, or workers have access to an adequate number of other people who have been trained to administer first aid ‘
There are so many other great reasons why you need to get your first aid certificate for the workplace.
Having a first aid certificate speeds up emergency response times
Workplace first aid training can enable you to help the victim and provide help to relieve their pain. It can also increase the recovery rate and save the victim from a serious or permanent disability.
For instance, if a heavy object falls on a person at the construction site, you can stop the bleeding with pressure and cover the wound to prevent further blood loss. Otherwise, extreme blood loss could be risky for them. These skills are essential to learning to be more proactive and be a team player at the workplace.
We have a handy article on basic first aid tips for workplaces inside our blog, take a look and take notes!
It increases workplace safety awareness
First aid courses can be confronting. There are some pretty serious accidents and pictures of examples in most first aid courses. This isn’t for everyone, but you need to be able to deal with an emergency should it arise, and know what it might look like.
When you take one of our first aid courses, you will feel ready to take on any incident that happens on your watch. You will gain confidence and realise that it doesnt have to be complicated. Most of the first aid techniques we teach are simple and easy to remember, because they have to be.
For instance, when someone is choking, there are only 3 things to remember.
- Are they coughing or choking? If they are choking, call 000
- Start 5 back slaps
- Move onto 5 chest thrusts and repeat until they have recovered or help arrives
Yes there is always a little more to it than that, but fundamentally that is what you need to remember.
It improves employee morale
Good employee morale cannot be understated. Having worked in places where it was rotten at the top, I can clarify that that rot trickles down. If staff morale is down and people feel undervalued, productivity goes down the toilet.
How do you show staff that you care about them and trust them? Give them the tools to deal with an emergency – the course can also feel like a team building exercise! Especially when we are getting bitten by an imaginary snake and putting our colleague in a sling!
Contributing to workplace health, wellbeing and morale should not be underestimated.
90% online first aid courses
One of the options we give you is to do the enhanced first aid course or CPR course, whichever one you need. This means you can do most of your course from anywhere, whether it be at home or at work, your employer must give you the time to do this.
For the employer, this also means that because only 10% of the course is in person, it takes less people off the ‘shop floor’ for less time.
You will be able to help in an emergency outside work too
First aid training is not just for work however. These are skills for LIFE! I personally have been in five immediately life-threatening situations as a bystander (not in the hospital) and although I have the qualifications and experience to handle an incident, I dont have the equipment, colleagues and drugs available to me that I would have in the hospital.
Two of these situations were with small children choking and not breathing, a scary position for anyone to be in, but due to the first aid choking technique, both children had a good outcome. The parents did not know first aid, so if I had not known what to do, who knows how that may have ended?
First aid courses are essential for all businesses
There are so many reasons to undertake a first aid course, but the most important of all is that you never know when you might need it.
It takes just 3-6 hours to learn vital first aid every 3 years. That is no time at all to save a life.
Online first aid courses and full face to face courses
If you are looking for the experts in first aid courses in the workplace, The First Aid Nest is your flexible onsite solution. We come to you. Booking is easy, just contact us and we will reply the same day with a quote, get you logged in to your own first aid portal and a date for the face to face section of your class depending on what delivery mode you choose.
We look forward to meeting you and your colleagues.
Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions via our contact page.
