Office managers have faced many challenges over the past two years. As a result, it’s likely that you’ll now be catching up on some vital tasks that are overdue following the pandemic.
One of those tasks might be refreshing your office team’s first aid skills. While a small workplace need only have one dedicated first aider by law, it’s useful to give as many of your team as possible first aid certification.
These skills are transferable and can be used in and out of the workplace, but it can be challenging for office managers to organise a workplace first aid training course.
To help, here is our guide to managing a first aid training course for your office team and ensuring that everyone makes the most of the opportunity.
Find A Certified First Aid Training Provider
First aid training needs to be provided by a certified provider that has the skills to teach your office staff the right techniques in case of a medical emergency. Skills Training Group offers FAIB-accredited first aid training courses that can be tailored to your business’s specific needs, such as the nature of your organisation and any medical issues that office staff might encounter. By collaborating with them, you can ensure that your team gets certified training that will resonate and can be put to practical use.
Clear A Space On The Floor
When setting up a room for first aid training, you need to make sure that you clear space on the floor for mannequins and other equipment. You should also include chairs for part of the course, which can be easily cleared to the side when you get to practical demonstrations and practice.
Invite All Relevant Team Members
Before the first aid course starts, you need to invite every relevant team member. This means not only asking your appointed first aider to attend but also anyone else that you feel is relevant and that will benefit from first aid training. Consider sending an email with a calendar invitation so that you can review how many people are able to attend. You should also think about offering a reminder email to ensure that everyone remembers the course and reduce the number of people who don’t attend.
Ensure You Have A Comprehensive First Aid Kit
At the end of the training course, you should ask your instructor to check your first aid kit and ensure that it has everything you need. A basic first aid kit should include a selection of products such as plasters, bandages, scissors and more. Check that your first aid kit has everything you need and buy additional items if required. Make sure that you appoint a member of staff to check the first aid kit, as many items in it expire if not used.
Book A Refresher Course
Once you’ve completed your first aid training, you need to make sure that you set a reminder to book a refresher course in three years. That’s because the certificate runs out after that amount of time. You should also consider a voluntary refresher course sooner to ensure that you and your team are always up to date with the latest first aid techniques to keep your team and business stakeholders safe.
