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Page 7 of 10
July 2012
F i r s t Ai der s
First aiders undertake the initial treatment of people suffering injury and illness at
work. The treatment provided by first aiders should be consistent with their training
and competence. When in doubt, first aiders should recommend that an employee
seek medical advice.
The level of first aid training provided to administer first aid in each workplace
should be determined by the outcomes of the risk assessment process. Training
should be provided, where appropriate, in the following matters:
resuscitation
treatment and control of bleeding
treatment of the unconscious casualty
management of the unconscious casualty
contents of first aid kits and their use
transport of casualties
recognition of illness
treatment of injuries to bones, muscles and joints
treatment of minor injuries
treatment of burns and scalds
eye irrigation
poisons
simple record keeping
universal precautions to minimise the spread of infectious diseases when
treating wounds (refer to the
National Code of Practice for Health Care
Workers and Other People at Risk of the Transmission of Human Immuno
deficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B in the Workplace
)
purchasing first aid supplies.
The appropr iate number and compe tencies requ i red for fi rst a ide rs
wi ll va ry form wo rkp lace to wor kp lace depend ing upon locat ion, si ze,
work undertaken and o ther facto rs p rev ious ly d iscussed.
There i s no typ i ca l number of f ir st a ider s requ i red for a part icu lar
type of wo rk o r size of wor kp lace, however, in most s ituat ions, it i s
like ly that consu l tation wi th emp loyees and an assessment of r isks
wi ll determine that
a t l east one suitably qua lified first aider should
be provided.