Morale Boosting First Aid Training in the Workplace (Guest Blog)

No matter which corner of the world you live in, the likelihood is that an employer has a responsibility towards the safety of their staff members in the work place.

In the UK the Health and Safety at Work Act states that employers must ‘ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees’, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the USA lays down the ground rules for safety management systems at work and on the other side of the globe, Safe Work Australia drives the importance of safety in the workplace home.

To reach the necessary safety standards, safety training is often suggested, along with the implementation of a safety management system. Within this system, considerations need to be made for first aid and it usually falls on HR executives to ensure that this is correctly monitored and organised to ensure that training is carried out when necessary.

If asked to think of the largest organisation covering first aid training across the globe, it is likely that the Red Cross will spring to mind. Working internationally the charity covers a wide range of areas from helping refugees following a crisis to first aid training for a variety of industry sectors. Their ‘Big Red Survey’ conducted between April and May 2012 in the UK with all delegates attending their course showed that first aid training has a huge impact on a workforce. 73% said that they had used their first aid training skills in real life with a 35% of these people confirming they had used them both in and out of the workplace. One very interesting result of the survey showed that 85% of staff members said that first aid training made them happier, and 99% confirmed that the training will keep people safe.

The point of employee morale was a very interesting one and in general, many industry experts agree that providing a variety of different training programmes can help to boost the morale of staff members. Employee morale is an extremely important quality but it is an often overlooked element of a successful workplace. High morale comes hand in hand with improved efficiency, an increase of pride in an employee’s work, strong team work and increased productivity – sounds pretty good right?

Having a dedicated first aider, or a number of first aiders in your office might not only serve the necessary legislation on the part of the employer but can have a dual benefit of increasing the happiness of staff members at work, creating a better working environment for all.

This article is written on behalf of Britannia Safety and Training, offering first aid training in Norfolk at their training base.