So, what qualities make for a good first aider?
Good communication skills are vital. If you can communicate effectively with the injured person, they will be much more likely to trust you, feel reassured and allow you to help them.
The ability to work under pressure goes without saying. A cool, calm, and collected demeanour is needed at a time when a lot of people around you could be in a state of shock or panic.
Good leadership skills are essential as in an emergency, time is a critical factor and can play a vital part on the outcome of the situation. Being able to think and act quickly, take the lead, use your initiative, and trust your judgement are all vital skills which will reassure those around you.
Teamwork: delivering first-aid is not a one-person job – working as a team is critical. Whilst leadership skills are important, so is working and co-operating alongside your fellow employees or the emergency services. Getting the best outcome possible always involves teamwork.
Positivity always helps. Not only will it reassure everyone around you in your ability and self-control it will also prevent you from quickly becoming tired or mentally drained which could compromise your effectiveness.
With all this in mind, being a workplace first-aider relies heavily of different skill sets. The right person can save a life and prevent small injuries becoming major issues. Your qualified first aider is someone who has done the relevant training appropriate to the level identified in your risk assessment.
The minimum first-aid provision in any workplace is to have an appointed person to take charge of all first aid arrangements and a suitably stocked and ‘in date’ first aid kit. All workplaces must stock their first aid kits to meet current British Standard, and the following table shows you exactly what is needed depending on the size of your work environment and other usage:
| Recommended size of first aid kit: | Small | Medium | Large | Critical Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Risk: e.g. offices, shops & libraries etc. | Less than 25 employees | 25 - 100 employees | More than 100 employees | For catastrophic bleeding control |
| Higher Risk: e.g. food processing, assembly work, warehousing, engineering, construction, manufacturing etc. | Less than 5 employees | 5 – 25 employees | More than 25 employees | For catastrophic bleeding control |
| Contents: | Small | Medium | Large | Critical Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bandages:
Conforming Triangular |
1 2 |
2 3 |
2 4 |
|
|
Dressings:
Burn Eye Pad Finger Haemostatic Sterile (medium size) Sterile (large size) Trauma (large size) |
1 2 2 2 2 |
2 3 3 3 4 |
2 4 4 6 4 |
2 2 |
| Foil Blanket | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Gloves, nitrile (pairs) | 6 | 9 | 12 | 2 |
| Guidance Leaflet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Plasters, wash-proof | 40 | 60 | 100 | |
| Resuscitation face shield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shears (for cutting clothing & leather) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tape, microporous | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Tourniquet | 1 | |||
| Wipes, alcohol free | 20 | 30 | 40 |
Please be aware that this is only a minimum suggested contents list and the contents of your first-aid kit should reflect your first-aid risk assessment. The list of contents can be subject to change; it’s important you keep updated. Never keep tablets/medicines in a first-aid box.
As an employer, you have a legal obligation and must ensure that you have an approved training provider who is competent and qualified to deliver first-aid training, teach relevant course content and have the necessary quality assurance systems in place.
