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Updates on guidance and delivery of first aid at work training by third parties
General News - 24 June 2008 -
June 2008
Introduction
This note, aimed mainly at HSE approved first aid at work training providers, focuses on the introduction of three interim changes related to their work. The first of these is relevant to the provision of first aiders by employers. In addition, the note considers the delivery of current and future first aid work (FAW) and emergency first aid at work (EFAW) training courses by third parties.
Interim changes
During a recent consultation exercise, HSE invited comments on a number of specific issues. Overall, consultees supported a number of proposals, including the following:
- Paramedics registered with the Health Professions Council are exempt from the requirement to hold a valid FAW certificate to administer first aid in the workplace.
- Paramedics registered with the Health Professions Council are exempt from the requirements to hold a valid FAW certificate to be trainers/assessors for FAW courses, providing they can demonstrate thier competence to train/assess.
- One assessor can conduct assessments on an FAW course with no more than six students.
HSE will introduce these three changes to current arrangements from 1 September 2008.
Delivery of FAW training by third parties
Currently, HSE approved training providers are permitted to develop arrangements with a third party for delivery of FAW training courses. In effect, the third party runs FAW courses on behalf of the HSE approved organisations but is not approved in its own right. It is often referred to as 'franchising', although this term is probably inappropriate. It encompasses a spectrum of arrangemetns from relatively informal to formal (supported by a written contract). The Health and Safety (First -Aid) Regulations 1981, do not prevent the provision of FAW training in this way.
For the purpose of approval and monitoring, the HSE approved training organisation is responsible for the quality of FAW training delivered by third parties on its behalf. On this basis, the third party offers a way of accessing suitably qualified trainers and assessors and is acting as an additional site from which FAW courses can be run. To safeguard the quality of FAW training, all the following conditions should be met:
- The HSE approved training providers should conduct FAW courses in its own right and is responsible for ensuring that all FAW courses run by a third party meet the requirements defined in HSE's guidance: How to gain and maintain approval for first aid at work training under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 [200KB]).
- The HSE approved provider should internally verify that all trainers and assessors used by the third party are appropriately qualified and experienced and should monitor their skills at least once a year. Each trainer and assessor should have a personal portfolio containing relevant information that supports this verification.
- Only the HSE approved provider can issue FAW certificates. Therefore, any training delivered by the third party will be supported by a certificate bearing the name of the approved provider.
- There needs to be a good, regular level of communication between the approved provider and the third party.
- The third party should make it clear that it provided FAW courses on behalf of the approved provider and is not HSE approved in tis own right.
Where the above conditions are met, third parties will be able to delivery FAW and EFAW courses in the future. To support the change to a new training regime, GSE intends to ask its Contractor (SCOUT Interprises (Western) Ltd) to collect relevant information when they conduct post approval monitoring visits. It will cover the number of training courses being run and the number of sites from which the approved provider delivers them, including third parties. Where organisations are operating from 'multiple sites' they may require more than one monitoring visit every five years in accordance with guidance on HSE's website. The approved training provider will be charged for each monitoring visit.
If a monitoring visit identifies any problems with the provision of FAW training by a third party, HSE will work with the approved provider to resolve them. In the event that major problems are found which are not addresses and which relate to inadequate oversight by the approved provider, HSE may revoke the Certificate of Approval.
The collection of information on numbers of first aid training courses and training sites is likely to start before the end of 2008.
Implementation of changes to first aid training and approval arrangements
General News - 24 June 2008 -
June 2008
Introduction
- HSE recently conducted a consultation exercise on draft guidance for employers and first aid training providers to support changes to first aid training and approval arrangements. Subsequently, HSE has met with stakeholder groups representing first aid training providers to address specific issues relating to the future approval of these training organisations.
- Following on from the consultation, this note confirms a date for implementing the changes and identifies the guidance that will be put in place to support employers and training providers.
Implementation
3. Overview of the changes to the structure and content of training courses for first aiders in the workplace, as well as the approval of organisations providing this training.
4. HSE intends to introduce the changes to first aid training courses from 1 October 2009 so employer duty holders will need to implement them from this date. Guidance on the changes to approval arrangements will be available for first aid training providers at an earlier date (see paragraph 8) to enable them to prepare for the new training course structure.
Employers
5. Detailed guidance for employers will be available as a revision of the current document produced by HSE: First aid at work - The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 - Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (L74). Within this, it is only the guidance that is being revised, the Regulations and Approved Code of Practice will remain the same. HSE also intends to revise its guidance for small and medium sized enterprises in First aid at work - your questions answered (INDG214). Both publicaitons will be available for 1 October 2009. It is intended that L74 will continue as a priced publication and INDG214 will be available as a free leaflet that can be downloaded from HSE's webside.
6. The first aid web pages of HSE's website will also be revised to take account of the changes.
7. Employers will not be required to retrain all their first aiders as soon as the implementation date is reached. First aiders with a valid first aid at work (FAW) certificate will only enter the new arrangements when their certificate expires. This means that it will take three years post implementation before all first aiders in the workplace are captured within the new training structure.
Teaching providers
8. Detailed guidance for first aid training organisations will be available on HSE's website as a revision of the current document: How to gain and maintain approval for first aid at work training under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 [200KB]. This will be available for 1 April 2009 to help training providers prepare for delivery of the new courses, although the new approval arrangements are already outlined in the document referred to in paragraph 3. In addition, HSE will revise the relvant first aid web pages on its website (see paragraph 6).
Provision of further information
9. In addition to the guidance referred to above, further relevant information will be published on the first aid web pages of HSE's website, as appropriate. HSE will also continue to produce issues of the FAW newsletter.
HSE Statistics - Key Figures for 2006/07
General News - 23 May 2008 - Accidents
Ill health
2.2 million people wee suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work.
646,000 of these were new cases in the last 12 months.
Injuries
241 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.8 per 100,000 workers
141,350 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 535.1 per 100,000 employees
274,000 reportable injuries occurred, according to the Labour Force Survey, a rate of 1,000 per 100,000 workers
Working days lost
36 million days were lost overall (1.5 days per worker), 30 million due to work-related ill health and 6 million due to workplace injury.
Accidents in the Construction Industry
General News - 23 May 2008 - HSE Statistics
The HSE have reported the following statistics:-
There were 77 fatal injuries to construction workers in 2006/07, a 28% increase on the previous year.
23 deaths (30%) were due to falls from a height and 16 (21%) were due to being hit by a moving or falling object.
In 2006/07, 32% of all worker deaths were in the construction industry.
Derbys & Notts Chamber Business Awards 2008
General News - 23 May 2008 - Awards
Representatives from our Rawdon, Mansfield and Headquarters attended an Awards Dinner at Pride Park Stadium on 22nd February 2008.
We were presented with an award as a Finalist in the Business Skills & Staff Development Category.