Wrapping Bandages, Saving Lives: The Importance Of First Aid

Posted on 6th Feb, 2017 | By Lorretta Tatham

A person trained in first aid performs a vital role in any workplace, no matter the industry. However, many workplaces undervalue the importance of this skill – as well as practical assistance, a trained first aid officer also provides a number of more passive benefits, and knowing established medical techniques could make the difference between life or death in an emergency.

Why First Aid Knowledge Is Crucial

Unlike industry-specific training, first aid training has a lot of enduring qualities that make it eternally useful. It’s easy for anyone to learn, regardless of background and medical knowledge, and while specific techniques may be updated over time, as a general skill it’s never going to become obsolete. It’s immensely valuable because of its versatility and application in a wide range of circumstances, meaning that the practitioner is by default equipped to deal with almost any medical emergency, even if only on a relatively basic level. What’s more, it’s a transferrable skill – meaning that if you change jobs or even industries, your general medical knowledge is still equally valid.

Most importantly of all, it’s required by law. All employers are legally mandated to have provisions in place to safeguard the physical wellbeing of their employees – as long as they are in the workplace, they are the employer’s responsibility. In addition to medical support, first aid officers are invaluable in preventing accidents from occurring in the first place, as their training can help them to more quickly spot or prepare for current or developing risks.

Dealing With Medical Emergencies

As we’ve touched upon, first aid training provides a solid groundwork of basic medical knowledge, allowing practitioners to deal with a broad range of emergencies such as accidental poisoning, breathing difficulties, heart attacks or cuts or lacerations. This means that they can provide not only critical medical support immediately to victims, but it also makes them a source of useful knowledge to responding emergency services, as they know what factors to consider and monitor in such situations.

Needless to say, in extreme circumstances prompt application of first aid can make the difference between life and death. In cases of asphyxiation for example, it only takes the human brain six minutes to expire from lack of oxygen, meaning that an immediate, decisive response is necessary to save the victim’s life – a response that might not be forthcoming without the appropriate training. Without proper first aid, even certain simple injuries can quickly complicate into much more severe scenarios. It’s far more than a simple stopgap measure – it’s a vital resource in saving lives.

Emotional and Mental Support

It’s not just practical medical skills that first aid can provide, but also crucial emotional support too. In high-stress situations, keeping the casualty calm can be just as important (if not more so) than, for example, stemming the flow of bleeding. A trained first aider is more reliable, confident and in control in such situations, and this also helps them direct other surrounding members of staff to assist, where they might otherwise have little purpose.

When it comes right down to it, accidents will always happen – even in the safest, most sanitised environments there can be no 100% concrete guarantee of complete invulnerability from injury or illness, which means that first aid never ceases to be a valuable, integral skill in the workplace.

At Browns, safety is what we do. We provide a multitude of training courses to help ensure the physical wellbeing of everyone in the workplace, including but not limited to first aid training. Don’t hesitate to contact us or call us on 01282 615517, and we’ll be happy to help any way we can.

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