First Aid in the Workplace

NDFA has a great deal of experience providing the best first aid training Belfast or Northern Ireland has to offer.
Working environments require good up to date training as much as any other team of people. The workplace can be a
dangerous place no matter what kind of business you’re part of. Therefore, it’s vital that your staff and employees are
sufficiently trained to be able to carry out first aid at work and that staff have access to first aid kits. While no one wants
an accident or incident to occur, statistics say that it is bound to happen at one point, and therefore the workplace and its
employees must be prepared to meet that challenge.

The United Kingdom has Safety Requirements for Workplaces

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (NI) 1982 lists requirements for employers to ensure that they have provided
adequate persons and equipment to render First Aid for it’s employees. This applies even to small shops of five or less
people and to those who are self-employed. As of June 2011, a new standard was created for requirements for first aid
kits to be kept in workplaces. It required businesses to stock more kinds of first aid items so that more types of injuries or
other incidents could be covered in the case of an incident or accident occurring in the workplace.

What Changes Occurred in Workplace First Aid Kits?

Some of the changes these new rules imposed onto the workplaces for stocking of the new BS 8599 first aid kits
included: – Adding additional pairs of disposable gloves and requiring the gloves to be made of nitrile, as this avoids latex
allergies and other issues – Including less triangular bandages as they are no longer used – Including smaller and more
absorbent dressings for finger injuries – Including hypo-allergenic adhesive tape that could be torn to hold bandages on –
Including water-based sterile gel burn bandages and a way to keep them on the body – Including a face shield for mouth to
mouth resuscitation to protect the care giver The new first aid requirements also specified how many kits and how big the
kits must be for different kinds of workplaces. This is based on risk facts, such as construction areas being more high risk
than a retail shop, as well as the number of workers and if the workplace had any unique or special requirements.
Otherwise, the kit is to be stocked with the normal selection of first aid materials such as bandages, and other items.

Training is Also Vital For Workplace Safety

Besides fully stocking the required first aid kits for a workplace, employees should also receive adequate basic first aid
training on how to react to possible accidents or incidents that could occur in the workplace. Safety training helps to save
lives and is a vital part of a business plan. People are a business’ greatest assets, as without them there would be no one
to run the company. Therefore, it is vital to schedule periodic training on basic first aid methods. The bottom line is that
first aid should be a vital component of any business in order to protect their workers, as well as to protect their own
bottom line. First aid can mean the difference between someone being stabilized until help arrives, to someone dying for
lack of care.