We all like to think that if we ever need first aid attention in an emergency, there would be someone on hand or nearby who would be able to help – but it seems that this is relatively unlikely, with new research revealing that just 50 per cent of us would feel confident in administering first aid in such a situation.
Carried out by the British Red Cross in time for World First Aid Day on September 8th, the study found that 70 per cent of us are worried that we would make the situation worse or do something wrong. And just four per cent of people say they know the correct first aid skills and felt confident in being able to help in three of the most life-threatening scenarios – heavy bleeding, unresponsive and breathing, and unresponsive and not breathing.
Further research carried out by the University of Manchester on behalf of the British Red Cross a few years ago found that up to 59 per cent of deaths from injury could have been prevented if first aid had been administered prior to emergency services arriving.
“The actions of the first person on the scene of a life-threatening emergency are vital. In the same way that everyone knows to call 999, it’s so important that people have the skills to act before the ambulance arrives.
“It’s normal to feel worried about the prospect of an emergency like this, but doing something is always better than doing nothing. Taking five minutes to learn these five simple skills will give you the confidence to act calmly, and could save someone’s life,” head of first aid at the British Red Cross Joe Mulligan said.
First aid at work
Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1982, employers are required to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, personnel and facilities to make sure that staff members receive immediate attention if injured or taken ill at work.
What is considered appropriate and adequate depends entirely on the circumstances in your particular workplace, including whether trained first aiders are required, what should be included in your first aid box and if you need a first aid room. Carrying out a risk assessment of first aid needs would be wise so you know what you need to provide.
Regardless of the size of your organisation, you may decide that it’s best to have at least one accomplished first aider just in case of emergency – so booking a first aid training course with us here at Essential Confined Space Training could prove particularly beneficial.
Our Nottingham based first aid at work training course will take 18 hours to complete over the course of three days, designed to provide all attendees with the required first aid skills to deal with scenarios they can encounter as an appointed first aider. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us today.
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