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This week, we will be covering First Aid in construction in the UK.
First Aid
Do you know about First Aid in construction in the UK?
Before you find out, brace yourself… it’s our favourite time!
Construction worker discharged after accusation of murder.
There was no concrete evidence.
Another great one! Anyway, back to First Aid!
In the UK, the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require all construction sites to have a first aid box with enough equipment to cope. Employers must provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities, and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate first aid attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.
Employers are also required to provide suitable first aid provision, which includes trained personnel, stocked first aid kits with bandages, wipes, plasters, gloves and scissors, and first aid rooms, among other things.
Additionally, a First Aid at Work-qualified first aider must be provided for every 50 employees on projects with more than 50 workers. Other requirements for first aid facilities in workplaces include a first aid couch, a chair, a sink with soap and paper towels, drinking water and disposable cups, storage space for first aid materials, incident record books, communication equipment such as a phone, and a pedal bin and container suitable for clinical waste disposal.
The duty holder for the project determines the first aid requirements for construction sites, which varies depending on the site and project. Because of the higher hazard classification of construction sites, they generally require more qualified first responders. A first aid kit in a construction site is likely to contain more supplies than a low-risk environment, such as an office, and if a BS 8599-1 compliant first aid kit is purchased, it will need to reflect the contents for a high-hazard environment and the number of workers on-site at any one time.
The HSE guidance gives a suggested number of first aiders required in a high-risk environment such as a construction site, and there are a variety of training providers across the UK for both the 1-day emergency first aid at work and 3-day first aid at work courses.
And now, you know the different aspects of first aid in construction in the UK.
Likewise, if you have a health and safety topic you want the ‘Nail it’ team at Premier Recruitment Solutions to tackle next, email us at info@premierrecruitmentsolutions.co.uk.
