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First aiders vital in the workplace says St John Ambulance

Employers in the region need to provide better first aid cover or face prosecution, according to new research.

St John Ambulance has reported that 79 percent of businesses in the North East do not always have a first aider on the premises al all times. In the event of a serious activity or fatality, this lack of foresight could prove disastrous.

St John Ambulance is now encouraging businesses and other organisations to take advantage of its in-house first aid training courses. A range of potentially life saving techniques are included in the courses, from emergency first aid to training in the use of a defibrillator for heart attack businesses.

Mike Nye, Marketing Manager for St John Ambulance North East, said: “Many organisations don’t get round to providing first aid training for their staff because it just seems too difficult and costly to organise days away from the workplace.

“Employers have a legal responsibility to provide first aid training but more importantly we’re talking about giving staff vital skills which could mean they’re the difference between a life lost and a life saved when faced with an emergency in the workplace.”

Companies with six or more staff can request St Johns Ambulance cones to them, or smaller companies can visit the training centres which are located in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Darlington.

Mike added: “Many companies in the North East choose to use our services because we’re a charity and all our profits, after we’ve covered our costs, are ploughed into supporting local communities with first aid training, first aid cover at public events and other important activities.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .