What is Emergency First Aid at Work training?

If there was an emergency first aid situation in your workplace, would you know what to do? Is your workplace prepared in the case of an emergency requiring first aiders?

If the answer is no, you might be looking at an Emergency First Aid at Work course for your employees. This one day course will equip you with the essential skills needed to give safe, prompt and effective emergency first aid. In this guide, we will discuss what an emergency first aid at work course covers, the methods used for assessment in an emergency first aid regulated training course, and the certification you will receive on completion of the course.

Emergency First Aid at Work Course Content

1. Understand the roles and responsibilities of an emergency first aider

You will learn about the different roles and responsibilities that you hold as a first aider. The roles a first aider will manage include:

• Assessing the situation – what has happened?
• Protecting the casualty from danger.
• Getting help – what help is needed?
• Prioritising treatment.
• Minimising infection risks – am I minimising the risk of infecting the casualty?
• Consent: the importance of consent in a first aid situation.

Other topics that might be covered in this objective include methods for preventing cross-infection, the need for recording incidents and actions, safe use of equipment available, and dealing with post-incident stress.

2. Be able to assess an incident.

In this section, you will learn how to conduct a scene survey, conduct a primary survey of a casualty, and look for appropriate assistance when necessary. Assessing the incident is a key step in providing first aid to a casualty, as you must know what the problem is before locating assistance or administering first aid. Assessing the situation includes assessing your environment, the casualty, and the help available to you at the time.

3. Be able to provide first aid to an unresponsive casualty

Being able to administer first aid to an unconscious casualty means assessing the situation, and then following a careful procedure. You will learn how to identify when to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and demonstrate this using a manikin that will be provided for you. Administering first aid also includes placing the casualty into the recovery position. This learning objective will also help you to identify how to administer first aid to somebody experiencing a seizure. Administering CPR will also include the correct placement of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and following the instructions of an AED.

4. Be able to provide first aid to a casualty who is choking

This learning objective requires you to identify the differences between mild and severe choking. Once this has been identified, you will need to demonstrate how to administer first aid to a casualty who is choking.

5. Be able to provide first aid to a casualty with external bleeding

Emergency First Aid at Work will require you to assess the severity of different situations including external bleeding. This objective requires you to identify the severity of the external bleeding, and then demonstrate how to control this external bleeding.

6. Know how to provide first aid to a casualty who is in shock

This objective will ask you to recognise a patient who is in shock. You will need to identify the signs and symptoms that a casualty suffering from shock might exhibit, and then identify how to administer first aid to this casualty.

7. Know how to provide first aid to a casualty with minor injuries.

During the course, you will learn how to administer first aid to a casualty with a minor injury. This will include small cuts, grazes, bruises, and small splinters.
You will also be required to identify how to administer first aid to a casualty with other minor injuries such as minor burns and scalds.

Assessment

This course is assessed using practical and theory assessments. This is to demonstrate that you have been watching the practical activities throughout the course, and you are able to recognise and put procedures into place in real emergency first aid situations. There are up to five practical assessments for the Emergency First Aid at Work course, which could include:

• CPR and safe use of an AED
• Choking casualty
• Unconscious casualty
• Wounds, bleeding and shock
• Catastrophic bleeding

You will receive one theory assessment, consisting of a 15-question paper which must be completed within 25 minutes. In order to pass this theory assessment, you must answer 11 out of 15 questions correctly. These assessments can be adjusted to accommodate those with additional needs, please contact us to discuss.

Emergency First Aid at Work Certification

Once completing this course, you will receive the Qualsafe Awards Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) certification, This qualification is valid for 3 years. In order to keep your qualification up to date, you will need to complete the course and assessments again within the 3 year period. Certificate validity can be checked via Qualsafe Awards.

Summary

After completing the Emergency First Aid at work course, you will understand the range of roles and responsibilities that a first aider will need to manage; from an initial survey to getting help for a casualty.

Through practical activities, you will feel confident about administering first aid procedures to a casualty, such as using an AED, putting a casualty in the recovery position, and providing CPR when needed. Additionally, you will learn how to manage minor injuries, how to manage a casualty who is in shock, and a casualty who is choking.

This Emergency First Aid at work course is accredited by Qualsafe Awards, one of the largest Ofqual recognised Awarding Organisations in the UK.

By participating in this training course, employers can rest assured that they have fulfilled their legal duty for providing quality first aid training, without having to carry out any lengthy due diligence checks.