Tag Archives: safety

First Aid Training during Covid-19

Introduction

The HSE have released another update on first aid training during Covid-19. Below we lay out the changes that have been made as well as the guidance remaining in place to keep you and your business safe. The following guidance came in place on January 15 2021.

In England

The HSE policy is that first aid training require to comply with health and safety or other legislation can continue to take place under relevant coronavirus restrictions in England. All possible measures must be taken to ensure that both training activities and environment are Covid-19 secure. Premises currently closed to the public under current restrictions may be considered for use as training venues providing conditions above are adhered to.

The HSE’s current guidance on first aid certificate extensions covers all of GB and remains unaltered.

In Scotland

The Scottish Government has informed HSE that first aid training can be permitted under current Covid-19 restrictions, given:

The training is a required part of the work/operation of the business commissioning the training
Other requirements for businesses and individuals under the current restrictions are met
All controls necessary are in place to comply with relevant Covid-19 regulations and guidance published by the Scottish Government

Premises currently closed to the public under current restrictions may be considered for use as training venues providing conditions above are adhered to.

The HSE’s current guidance on first aid certificate extensions covers all of GB and remains unaltered.

In Wales

The Welsh Government has informed HSE that first aid training can be permitted under current Covid-19 restrictions, given:

The training is a required part of the work/operation of the business commissioning the training
Other requirements for businesses and individuals under the current restrictions are met
All controls necessary are in place to comply with relevant Covid-19 regulations and guidance published by the Welsh Government

Premises currently closed to the public under current restrictions may be considered for use as training venues providing conditions above are adhered to. Authority to open premises for first aid training can be obtained from the relevant local authority to appropriate department of the Welsh Government.

The HSE’s current guidance on first aid certificate extensions covers all of GB and remains unaltered.

To Conclude

You can read the HSE’s full update here.

You can also see the training courses we have available here.

Making our First Aid training courses safer.

During the current outbreak COVID-19, we want to reassure all of our clients that we are taking all possible precautions whilst still providing essential first aid training. We want to ensure that our clients have no doubts as to how we will be doing this and have put together a 10-step process that will be used in each of our training courses.

During the course induction, our trainers will use medical device and equipment disinfectant wipes (e.g. Trionic) on classroom surfaces. We will also check all learners and exclude anyone that exhibits COVID-19 symptoms: continuous cough/temperature.

We will also check that no learner is in a situation where they should be self-isolating e.g a family member with symptoms in the last 14 days or from an “at risk group“. We will exclude those learners as necessary.

On arrival, each learner will be required to thoroughly sanitise their hands with either hand gel or an alcohol wipe that we will provide. They will be instructed that if they need to cough/sneeze it should be done into a tissue which is promptly disposed of and their hands re-sanitised. If they have no tissues available, they will be instructed to do this into a bent elbow, which is better than into a hand/fist, and never to cough/sneeze without covering their mouth and nose.

Note: This will be monitored closely by the trainers and the group will be encouraged to maintain this standard throughout.

All learners will be shown the below videos on how COVID-19 spreads; and

How to properly wash their hands.

It will be clearly explained to all learners that they should refrain from touching their mouth, nose or eyes unless they have just washed their hands or have sanitised. We will explain which methods we have available on that course for them to sanitise their hands (e.g. hand gel or alcohol wipes) and where they can wash their hands with water and soap.

The biggest risk of contamination by far is from people to people through germination on hands. Before we begin the CPR practice, this will be explained to the learners as well as all the protections we have put in place to prevent infection during CPR practice. The measures include:

The measures include:

Frequently replacing lungs/airways/valves;
One way valves to stop air coming back out of the manikin mouth;
Alcohol/sanitising wipes between learners; and
Anti-surfactant wipe (e.g. Trionic wipes) after each session (removes any bio-film as well as killing germs).

These steps alone are sufficient to prevent infection and that is all that is normally used on our first aid courses, which has been approved as sufficient by the Health and Safety Executive and NHS Consultant Microbiologists.

However, in the current climate, we will also be issuing each learner their own personal CPR face shield to provide a double fail-safe.

Learners will be instructed on how to correctly use the face shield each time. This includes gently tucking the filter part of the shield into the manikin’s mouth helps keep it in place, they will still nip the nose as usual through the face shield.

Between each learner, alcohol/sanitising wipes will be used on the manikin face as well as the forehead and chest where hands are placed (to prevent hand to surface/surface to hand contamination).

Learners will be split into small groups, where they will have use of the same manikin all through the course to prevent the possibility of course-wide infection spread.

At the end of every theory session, learners will be asked to sanitise or wash their hands. Before and after each practical session, learners will be asked to sanitise or wash their hands.

Please click here for further updates on our first aid courses.

HSE Health and Safety Statistics for 2016

The Health and Safety Executive has recently released its annual report on health and safety statistics for 2015-16. While it’s good to see that some numbers are dropping, it is also sobering to see that a number of statistics around health and safety have plateaued. It seems that while positive changes are still being made in some areas, there is still a lot to be done, and new approaches are needed.

Key health and safety statistics:

1.3 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, and 25.9 million working days lost.

144 worker fatalities from injury.

13,000 deaths per year linked to past workplace exposure to chemicals or dust.

621,000 injuries to workers.

Half a million workers suffering from musculoskeletal disorders.

Half a million cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety – with 11.7 million days off.

£14.1 billion cost to economy of work-related illness and injury (excluding long-latency illness such as cancer).

They’re some pretty big numbers aren’t they? The question now is – what do we all do to improve them? We believe that customised approaches to H&S are needed for more organisations, and that having a ‘one size fits all’ standardised approach, as used by many managers who are un-trained in health and safety, just isn’t good enough. If we want to see fatality and injury rates drop further, and see an improvement in the rates of employees’ musculoskeletal problems, mental health and related absences, then companies need to invest in specialised health and safety consultants, who can provide bespoke safety management systems, and help them to focus on ergonomics and better employee wellbeing.

Taking a pro-active approach doesn’t just improve outcomes for individual employees. It also improves staff productivity, satisfaction and retention, improves business reputation, and saves money. We can help you to make changes that will provide real improvements for your organisation.

If you’d like more information on our approach to consultancy, contact us at info@amalgamate-safety.com or call 0141 244 0181.

Constructing Better Health

We’re very proud to say that we have recently been accredited with CBH, who are doing great work to improve standards in Health and Safety within the Construction industry.

It is well known that the construction industry has a worryingly high rate of workplace injuries, but what is less recognised is the high incidence of work-related illnesses. Respiratory diseases, musculo-skeletal issues, and skin problems are all far too common within the industry.

CBH is working with employers and Occupational Health service providers like ourselves to raise the standards in ongoing health surveillance, health testing, and treatment of employees, to ensure better health, reduced absence, and higher productivity.

The CBH accreditation confirms that we have met their rigorous industry standards for management of workplace health and providing Occupational Health services to the specific requirements of the construction industry.

By being involved, we will be part of a process that centralises the collection of work-related health data to ensure the future improvement of workforce health based on reliable data and the provision of a benchmark for the industry.

Construction employers can be assured that we provide a ‘best practice’ service that is consistent and of high quality, and which takes into account the varied needs of different roles within the construction industry.

We look forward to being a part of this valuable new initiative.

www.cbhscheme.com

Design Safety

A study commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) demonstrated that safety should be designed into a construction project from the start, and not considered as an afterthought, and digital design tools can have an impact in achieving this.

Jane White, research and information services manager at IOSH, said: “Construction, as we all know, is one of our more dangerous industries. Therefore, with safety as a top consideration in the design phase, the number and severity of accidents that take place could be substantially reduced.

The research highlights the opportunities and challenges of seeing safety issues earlier in the process using digital design models. If safety was a top consideration for everyone at this early stage, then we could potentially see positive change in health and safety within construction.”

Dr Wei Zhou and Professor Jennifer Whyte, from University of Reading, and Associate Professor Rafael Sacks, from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, brought together designers, builders, industry partners and construction management graduates. It allowed them to look at how builders and designers can interact effectively, with the aid of a virtual reality tool, to design safe construction processes.

Professor Jennifer Whyte said: “Employers need to consider their use of digital building information models (BIM) and the impact they can have on safety practices on a building site. “More needs to be understood about how digital tools, such as BIM, can be developed to foster mindful practices, and active decision making about safety issues.”

The IOSH-commissioned research highlights important issues around the use of digital building design models, and their potential impacts on safety, at a time when BIM is beginning to take off in the industry.

Jane White added: “The study also highlights the role digital models of design may play in the communication of construction design management (CDM) safety knowledge to designers. And with amendments to CDM regulations likely in 2014, things could be set to change, so knowledge is key.”

Courtesy of IOSH