Changes ahead

摘要

2009 COULD SEE the first changes to the first aid at work regulations for a quarter of a century. HSE has been considering updating and reforming the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations for several years and in 2007 it sent a consultation document to industry stakeholders with proposed changes to the system of approval and monitoring of first-aid organisations and the structure of training courses. Part of the reason for the proposed changes is that the one-day Emergency Aid for Appointed Persons course, which provides basic emergency training for those nominated or appointed responsible for first aid in the workplace, is currently not regulated in the same way as the First Aid at Work two-day and four-day courses. The HSE would like the course to meet a defined quality standard. St John Ambulance has given its initial response to the HSE along with the other members of the First Aid at Work Council (FWC), which is made up of 420 HSE-approved training providers. At the moment, the HSE is consulting on the proposals through the FWC who will provide a single response for their members in the first-aid training industry.