The Importance of First Aid Safety Training

Often, workers must take on the “first responder” role when an emergency happens on a jobsite. Far too often those employees are untrained and unprepared, causing incidents to become more severe than they should be and sometimes even fatal. Companies should have an extensive and comprehensive safety and health management system in place in order to properly protect, train and inform employees on the importance of safety.

According to the OSHA First Aid standard (29 CFR 1910.151) it is mandatory for all workplaces to have trained first-aid providers if there is no infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace. It is not a requirement by OSHA to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) in company first-aid kits, but it is highly recommended. It is not uncommon for employees to go long intervals without having to use their first-aid/AED/CPR training, so it is necessary that companies provide training often and regularly test employees to keep them competent.

First-aid can vary depending on the workplace and environment, so employers should consider all possible risks when creating first-aid kits and training employees. A great way for employers to decide what should go into their first-aid kits is to refer to their OSHA 300 logs to determine what type of incidents are most common in their workplace. For help determining common first-aid injuries, refer to this list of first-aid types from the Mayo Clinic. Each type of first-aid injury listed on the site has a link for the best way to respond and handle the situation.

SMART Safety can help your company train and inform employees on first-aid/AED/CPR to help save employees and reduce the severity of incidents.

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