Emergency first aid training is the first type of training companies in low-risk fields tend to choose. It allows companies to have several appointed persons take up the position of the first aider.
This contrasts with First Aid at Work (FAW), which is far more comprehensive but requires more company funds to send fewer employees.
Let’s look at why you would need first aid training for the workplace.
We’ll review what qualifications a certified first aider should have and what kind of first aid at work works for your office.
What Are the First Aid for Emergency?
A good first aid training course should cover the appropriate first aid at work depending on the industry and work environment involved.
After all, even self-employed individuals can get injured at work.
The goal of workplace first aid is the early assessment of injuries, treatment, and the conduct of appropriate first aid until emergency services arrive to provide adequate medical assistance.
This makes emergency first aid at work slightly different from more popular courses.
This is because emergency first aid is a course designed to determine and treat less serious casualties.
What Are the Responsibilities of First Aiders?
First aiders get their name because they are the first to respond to an evolving medical situation.
They are trained in practical skills needed to care for a casualty until they can be stabilized for transport.
Every workplace must have a designated first aider who can provide life-saving care during medical incidents. Some of their important roles include:
- Performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in the event of a heart attack and cardiac arrest
- Use Automated External Defibrillators (AED)
- Casualty observation (vital signs, risk Assessment, and needs assessment)
- Preventing blood loss from injuries
- Placing stable patients in the Recovery Position until help arrives
- First aid (paediatric) for children
- Manage the mental health and illness of patients until higher-trained personnel can arrive
A first aider can be anyone!
Successful candidates who undergo a First Aid at Work course have the knowledge and the temperament for dealing with a casualty and are always eager to help and support others.
When their training is completed, they have the resources to respond to incidents for the next three years.
What Are the Responsibilities of Emergency First Aiders?
Meanwhile, an emergency designated first aider is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of a workspace that’s not used to needing medical help.
These include offices, schools, and other places where injuries are uncommon.
Here are some of the common responsibilities that the first aider of this type must handle:
- Unresponsive patients with heart problems
- Giving casualty care to stop furious bleeding
- Stop choking (Heimlich Maneuver)
- Aid workmates undergoing seizures
- Treating burns and electrical accidents
- Casualty reporting
Because of the lower chances of encountering an injured patient, this type of First Aid at Work course is much shorter than a traditional first aid course, which lasts about four days.
Successful candidates who complete such a course are oriented toward workplace-specific injuries and treatment.
This means knowing how to stop bleeding incidents, treat burns, and conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
A first aid practitioner with this kind of responsibility needs to have mental health to be able to transition from an office-mate to being able to provide comprehensive first aid at work.
They need to be able to reach for the aid kit, stabilize the casualty and prepare them for the eventual move to the hospital. They must also be aware of a workmate’s potentially life-threatening illness.
What Is the Difference Between First Aid and Emergency First Aid?
The difference between emergency first aid training and first aid at work is the likelihood of injuries in their respective workspaces. Both courses have plenty of overlapping skills.
The real issue comes down to how often they must be used.
Upon successful completion of each training course, a first aid practitioner is equipped to provide emergency medical care to a casualty who may have experienced heart problems or rough falls during their work day.
One of the main differences between the first and second courses is the length. A regular first aid course is often four days long (32 hours) because it includes Basic Life Support.
A lower-risk first aid at work course often only lasts one 8-hour session. This is not enough time to cover every conceivable injury, just the basics.
The length of training also affects the number of skills shared.
A traditional first aid course prepares one to provide almost every type of immediate aid available. These include CPR, bandaging, carries, burn treatment, and more.
Here is a more comprehensive aid list that shows the differences between the two kinds of training:
- First aid at work is designed for higher-stress workplaces, while EFAW is designed to give first aid in workspaces less prone to injuries
- FAW is designed to give more detailed first aid treatments such as poisoning, burns, chest and eye injuries, and more. EFAW is not.
- Both courses are designed to treat choking individuals, wounded individuals, and those in shock. They both treat minor injuries like cuts, nicks, and bruises.
Which First Aid Does Your Workplace Require?
A good workspace knows the appropriate first aid courses to send their workers to, depending on the work environment.
If you expect an employee to get an anaphylactic shock, you will need a practitioner trained in full first aid, which covers more comprehensive casualty treatment.
If your office needs someone to deal with cuts and bruises, you can do so with a lesser-trained first aid practitioner. This also allows you to train and equip more employees with the right first aid insights.
The major consideration an employer needs to make when choosing which course of sending employees to is which one will produce the MOST COMPETENT first aid practitioner as required by law.
Every workspace should have at least one licensed first aid officer capable of providing first aid at work.
A multitude of lesser-prepared responders makes response quicker and keeps wounds from getting out of hand.
At the very least, having EFAW-instructed personnel ensures that nobody panics and everyone has the mindset of saving the patient until the ambulance can arrive.
Conclusion
Many first aid courses are offered to reduce workplace injuries and allow the appointed person to save lives.
They train an emergency first aider to have the knowledge to face any casualty. It is best to call for medical help in a serious emergency when in doubt.
The first aider’s role is to render appropriate first aid, such as stopping the bleeding or operating the Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
