First Aid Training: What are Your Responsibilities?

Most people understand the aims of first aid, but many lack the skills to correctly and actively deliver first aid. 

Therefore, if you have the relevant knowledge and first aid qualifications to your name, you should be fundamentally aware of what to do in an emergency and how to assess the severity of each casualty.

However, if you don’t have any experience of first aid training under your belt, you may benefit from knowing the responsibilities of someone with such training. This guide will explain those in more detail and how you can gain that knowledge.

What is First Aid?

First aid is the immediate and safe assistance given to someone injured or unwell. Invariably, a first aid emergency might be minor where someone is conscious and not in any serious life-threatening condition. The situation can be dealt with quickly and safely without much panic. 

On the other hand, proactive and specialist first aid treatment may be required in more difficult situations where casualties may not be breathing or have suffered traumatic injuries that involve losing consciousness.

In a nutshell, first aid is care given to a casualty in an attempt to preserve life, promote recovery and prevent conditions from worsening.

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What Should Qualified First Aiders be Able to Do?

In any situation where emergency first aid is required, someone with relevant training should be able to do the following, in no specific order.

  • Manage the incident and ensure the continued safety of the casualty, themselves and bystanders.
  • Assess all casualties and determine the severity of their injuries or illnesses, prioritising treatment.
  • Arrange for the emergency services to attend the scene by dialling 999 (in the UK) or 112 (if abroad).
  • Provide appropriate first aid assistance that falls within their training, which is reasonable in the circumstances and is prioritised based on the needs of each individual.
  • Note any observations of casualties and if conditions worsen.
  • Provide a handover when the ambulance or paramedics arrive and fill in any necessary paperwork.

Examples of Common First Aid Treatment

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All first aiders are responsible for providing immediate and sometimes lifesaving medical help before further assistance arrives. 

Below are some examples of first aid:

  • Placing unconscious individuals in the recovery position to aid the safe and consistent passage of air into the lungs.
  • Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with regular chest compressions and rescue breaths.
  • Using an automated external defibrillator (AED) if necessary.
  • Preventing catastrophic bleeds (such as arterial or venous bleeds) using pressure, elevation or the use of tourniquets.
  • Keeping fractured limbs supported and still.

Workplace First Aider Responsibilities

Some organisations are less likely to experience a first aid emergency than others. However, that is not to suggest that all workplaces are entirely risk-free.

Even if you work in a secure office environment, you could still be required to take decisive action should someone suffer an accident or fall ill on your premises. Not having an appropriate first aid kit, procedure or health and safety policy could be disastrous for your company. 

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require all employers to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and approved persons to help if someone is injured or taken ill immediately.

The definition ‘adequate and appropriate’ will vary depending on the organisation and circumstances of your specific workplace, but at the very least, it should be a basic first aid kit and at least one approved person to take charge of first aid situations.

Any approved person should, at minimum, have something akin to the Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work course, which is a 1-day first aid course that lasts for three years. Alternatively, the 3-day First Aid at Work course may be more suitable, lasting for three years. Whether you choose the First Aid at Work qualification or the Emergency First Aid at Work training course, you’ll need to take annual refresher training to keep your qualifications intact.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states it’s the employer’s responsibility to carry out a first aid needs assessment to identify their specific requirements.

Scenario-Based First Aid Training Courses

Accidents and illnesses can happen instantly and without warning. Thus, provision for first aid help needs to be readily available even when people are off-site.

Advanced Tactical Resources provide a wide range of accredited first aid courses for individuals and organisations across multiple sectors or lines of business. Our training is structured around scenario-based exercises to reinforce first aid theory and provide an immersive learning experience.

We provide dedicated training, ranging from trauma first aid to paediatric first aid courses, among many others. Please view our upcoming courses at our training venue (the Centre of Excellence), or if you’d like to learn more, please contact our office directly

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ATR are not just specialist training and service providers, but for organisations that require authorised first aid equipment, we have products available via our shop.