What does First Aid at Work training cover with Momentum People?
As an employer, the health and safety of your employees whilst they are at work is your responsibility, including first aid incidents. Having a trained first aider in your workplace means that you have someone to provide essential first aid support in emergency situations.
The immediate support first aiders provide until the emergency services arrive could potentially be the difference between life and death. It is incredibly important to ensure all first aid staff are confident and competent at delivering first aid in life threatening emergencies.
First Aid at Work – FAW as it is sometimes referred to – is a three-day training course that gives your first aider the knowledge and and confidence to deliver first aid in any situation that arises in the workplace or day to day life. It is the the most thorough of the workplace first aid courses, with three days allowing for more detail than the Emergency First Aid at Work training sessions, as well as extra competencies.
In this blog post we will look at what you will learn, how long it takes, what qualification you will receive, how long the qualification lasts.
What will you learn on a 3-day First Aid at Work Course?
You will learn lifesaving emergency first aid skills using a variety of practical and theory-based teaching, including interactive activities, research based tasks and hands on exercises to assess competency.
At the end of your 3-day FAW training, you will be confident with the following:
- The importance of preventing cross infection
- The need for recording incidents and actions and the use of available equipment
- Assessing the situation and circumstances in order to act safely, promptly and effectively in an emergency
- Recognising the presence of major illness (including heart attack, stroke, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes) and provide appropriate first aid
- Administering first aid to a casualty who:
- is unconscious (including seizures)
- Requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use an automated external defibrillator
- Is choking
- Is wounded and bleeding
- Is suffering from shock
- Requires appropriate first aid for minor injuries (including small cuts, grazes and bruises, minor burns and scalds, small splinters)
- Administering first aid to a casualty with:
- Injuries to bones, muscles and joints, including suspected spinal injuries
- Chest injuries
- Burns and scalds
- Eye injuries
- Sudden poisoning
- Anaphylactic shock
How long does a First Aid at Work course take?
A first aid at work course takes 3 full days to complete. The HSE requires the training to be 18 hours across 3 days, so we advise allowing 8 hours for each day to account for 6 hours of training, with small breaks built in throughout the day and a lunch break.
FAW is delivered as a face to face course only and can be done in-house or at our Stoke-on-Trent offices as private or open courses.
What certification do you receive?
Upon completion of the course, you will receive a CPD accredited First Aid at Work certification. All content throughout the certification is informed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance to comply with the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
How long does a First Aid at Work certification last?
Once completed, the First Aid at Work certification will allow you to be a First Aider for 3 years.
Three years is a long time to retain knowledge and with skills that could result in life or death, it is benficial to ensure your first aider’s knowledge is as refreshed and up to date as possible. This is why lots of employers opt for annual refresher training – to make sure their first aider is ready to give the most effective support and give the casualty the best chance of survival in an emergency situation.
Summary
In summary, the First Aid at Work certificate is the ideal qualification if you want the most thorough first aid provision in your workplace. It is especially beneficial if you work in a high-risk workplace where emergency situations are more likely to occur.
During the 3-day course, your chosen first aider(s) will learn all the skills required to deliver first aid in emergency situations within the workplace and be confident to deal with anything that may arise.
Although the certification lasts 3 years, HSE strongly recommends annual 1-day refresher training to ensure your skills remain sharp.
Just so you know, we also offer Emergency First Aid at Work Training and Paediatric First Aid Training as well as First Aid Refresher Training.
If you are unsure whether this is the right course for your workplace, check out our blog post Decide Between First Aid At Work Or Emergency First Aid At Work?
Book a First Aid at Work Course
If you would like to book our First Aid at Work course or have any questions, call 0330 100 2821 or email training@momentumpeople.co.uk