Life Saving Tips During a Heatwave

There has been much in the papers about a predicted Heatwave about to hit us.

While here in England this will be a welcome event, there are many dangers during a Heatwave.

There is the much published long term risk of skin cancer should you expose your skin to too much sun.


Then there is the more immediate risk of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.


So what is Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion and how do we deal with it?

Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of water and salt from the body through excessive sweating. It usually develops gradually and often affects people who are not used to hot and humid conditions. Heatstroke is caused by a failure in the thermostat in the brain that regulates body temperature.

The body can become dangerously overheated, usually due to prolonged exposure to heat or a high fever. In some cases, heatstroke can follow heat exhaustion when sweating ceases and the body isn’t cooled by the evaporation of sweat. Heatstroke can develop very quickly with little warning and can cause unconsciousness within minutes of the casualty feeling unwell.

Follow these simple steps to recognise these conditions and to help:

• A casualty with heat exhaustion may become dizzy and confused, have a headache, loss of appetite and nausea. They may complain of cramps in the arms, legs or abdomen and may be seating with pale, clammy skin and their pulse and breathing may become rapid
• Help the casualty to a cool place out of the sun, preferably indoors
• Lay the casualty down and raise and support their legs
• Provide plenty of water to drink and, if available use re-hydration salts or isotonic sports drinks to help with salt replacement
• Even if the casualty recovers quickly, advise them to seek medical help
• If the casualty’s breathing and response worsens call 999/112 for medical help.
• Symptoms of heatstroke can include a headache, dizziness, restlessness, confusion and discomfort. The casualty might be flushed with hot, dry skin, have a bounding pulse and a high temperature, above 40°C(104°F)
• Help the casualty to a cool place and remove their outer clothing
• Call 999/112 for emergency help
• Wrap the casualty in a cold, wet sheet and keep the sheet wet until the temperature returns to normal
• Once the temperature returns to normal, replace the wet sheet with a dry one
• Monitor vital signs, level of response, breathing, pulse and temperature until medical help arrives. If the temperature rises again, repeat the cooling process.

Stay safe and enjoy the summer.

How to Write a Risk Assessment

When writing a risk assessment, it must cover 5 elements.

A way to remember this is to use the acronym “IDERR”

1. Identify the risks
2. Decide who is at risk and how
3. Evaluate the risk
4. Record significant findings
5. Review & Monitor

(I)

So first we need to identify all significant risks, we state significant because there will always be some risks that would present no injury or are so remote that they are likely to happen once every few years etc, and only cause minor injury. So for this purpose insignificant risks can be left out.

The best way to identify the risks is to talk to the person who does the task, observe them work and see if any risks present themselves; these could be risk to the operator or to people passing by.

 The best thing about involving the person who does the task is they are much more likely to follow the findings of the risk assessment if they had some input into writing it.

(D)

Next we need to decide who is at risk from the task and how they will be harmed, this may have been picked up in the observation of the task, but again, talk to the operator, ask them who they think could come into contact with any risks the task poses.

(E)

Thirdly we need to evaluate the risk.

This is done by the probability of something going wrong x the severity of any injury.

The way I do this is, first I look at the severity, what sort of injury I would expect if something went wrong. This could be anywhere between a small cut and a fatality.

Next I look at the probability. How likely is this to go wrong taking into account all the precautions that are in place to try to prevent this?

Some people choose to record the risk before precautions and also after precautions.

Next I use a simple 5 x 5 chart as below to work out the risk.

Again some people prefer to use larger matrix’s i.e. 25 x 25 or larger. It is down to personal preference.

This gives a clear picture of the risk as High, Medium or Low

If the risk falls into the green area (low) then you don’t really need to do anything.

If the risk falls into the yellow area (medium) you may want to discuss any ideas with the operator / managers etc to see if there is a way to move the risk into the low bracket.

Any risk that falls into the red area (high) must be considered a potential danger and precautions must be put into place immediately to bring it at least into the medium bracket.

(R)

With the first “R” we need to record all significant findings. This is called your risk assessment.

(R)

The last “R” actually stands for monitor and review.

We need to set up a review date, but also we must monitor the assessment and ensure it is being followed and is "fit for purpose"

The monitoring can be done using task audits done frequently.

All risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually but if the risk is medium or high you may wish to do this more frequently.

Regardless of your review date, the risk assessment must be reviewed after any accident.


SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd can deliver on-site courses to train your staff in how write risk assessments

The Face of Little Annie.

This face is known to millions around the world and been kissed by billions.

But did you know According to his company website, Asmund Laerdal, the founder of Laerdal Medical, based in Stavanger, Norway, based the face on a real person.

The story goes, According to popular myth at the end of the 19th century, a young girl's lifeless body was pulled from Paris's Quai François Mitterrand, which was then called Quai du Louvre.

As no signs of violence could be found on her, it was decided she had committed suicide, with some stories suggesting it was a case of unrequited love that prompted her death.

Because no one could identify her, a plaster mask of her face was made and hung outside a shop door.

Her delicate beauty became popular with artists and writers, who fabricated stories about the cause of her suicide.

Asmund Laerdal, who became a pioneer for making resuscitation aids out of soft plastic, in the 1950s he developed Resusci Annie, otherwise known as Rescue Annie, a life-like mannequin used to train people in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

His website says he was so moved by the unknown woman's tragic background; he adopted her mask for his first-aid doll.

He was convinced that if a mannequin was life-like, students would be determined to learn the lifesaving procedure.

Millions have been taught how to breathe life into the face of the girl who is believed to have taken her own, making her the most kissed girl in the world.

Since its original introduction, several different versions of Resusci Anne have also been introduced, including ones that simulate other emergency medical conditions, such as severe wounds and trauma.

If the myth is true, then this young girls tragedy has probably lead to saving more life's than any other single person.

Brought to you by www.safatraining.co.uk 

Writing Your Safety Policy

How long is your Safety Policy?

I asked a company who was going to carry out some work for me to send over their Safety Policy and they sent me a one page document that looked like it had been downloaded from the internet and their name added to it.

This was in fact a Safety Policy Statement of Intent and not the full policy.

First off, I am not against using the internet for templates, but I must stress that you should be aware of what is expected when writing such a document, which is why I written this blog.

What is a Health & Safety Policy and how do I write one?

If you employ 5 or more people, this includes Directors and part time staff; it is a legal requirement to have a Health & Safety Policy in writing.

You need to do this to inform people about how you intend to deal with health and safety issues that affect what you do and how you carry out your works. It is there to show your commitment to health and safety and to identify who has what responsibilities within your business.

Is it hard or can I write it myself?

First of all it need not be complicated; a long document doesn’t always make it a good document, but it should include all aspects of the work you do and the Safety arrangements you have for each part.

What you need to do is identify who has what responsibility, in a small business that might be just one person, but if someone in your business writes the risk assessments and method statements, and someone else checks the equipment that you use, you should identify those individuals and write down what they are responsible for.

What do I put in my Policy?

Firstly it should have a Policy Statement; this is sometimes called your general Statement of Intent. This sets out how you intend to manage the health and safety aspects of your business. It will say how you will tell people about the Policy, your Safety aims and goals, and commit you to ensuring the health safety and welfare of your employees, contractors and those affected by your work. By law it must be signed by the person in charge of Health and Safety, which in a smaller company is almost always the Managing Director or Owner. Your policy must carry a signature (no more than12 monthsold), and be reviewed annually at the very maximum.

The next stage is to identify the roles and responsibilities within the business. Again this could be just one person or it could be several people who are identified to carry out specific tasks. It should also identify that every individual has a responsibility under health and safety legislation. The most popular way to do this is with an organisational chart, showing the hierarchy of seniority within your organisation and identifying named persons and their job titles, as well as their role to play in health and safety. In a smaller organisation this may not be necessary; a simple list would suffice if there are very few levels of management or control.

The final stage of writing your Policy is to identify the arrangements that you have in place for managing different aspects that affect those who either carry out work or who may be affected by the work being done. This will be the largest section of your Health and Safety policy. The arrangements give information about how you manage that particular aspect. Each element should have its own heading and under that heading you will state what you do to manage the risks associated with the use of electrical equipment and who is responsible for making sure that it takes place. The arrangements will vary dependent on the type of work that you generally undertake. Some examples of arrangements might be;

·         Welfare when on site

·         Risk Assessment procedures

·         First Aid procedures

·         Training

·         Plant Machinery & Equipment

·         Emergency procedures

·         Manual handling

Depending on the size of your organisation this list can be very long, and you may find that you add to it over time.

So I’ve written it – what next?

Firstly it should be signed and dated by the most senior person in the business, don’t forget the buck stops with you! (No matter who you delegate to do what, Health & Safety is always the responsibility of the most senior person within the company, even if you use an outside consultant for help)

Secondly, do not hide it in a draw or folder somewhere, it must be brought to the attention of those who might be affected by it. Your employees, sub contractors and sometimes people who you are working for. If you have delegated responsibility for certain things within your Policy don’t forget to make sure that those people are aware of what they are responsible for. It can be a good idea to give a copy to all new starters and to put a copy on the notice board.

You must review the Policy yearly or more often if something changes that could affect people.

Don’t forget – this is a legal document, only include things that you will actually do. Don’t say things like  you will carry out weekly inspections if you only do them monthly; this will lead to HSE inspectors being suspicious about other things that you ‘haven’t done’  if something goes wrong.

 Writing a Health & Safety Policy doesn’t have to be difficult; it simply needs to reflect what you do and how you manage it.

For more help creating your own Health and Safety policy please call us on 01709 252 485, or visit http://www.safatraining.co.uk/contact-us/ and use our contact form.

First Aid in Primary Schools

Are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid?

I have spoken to many Mid-Day Supervisors and Teaching Assistants who have received training in Emergency First Aid at Work, and have done so for some period, up to 10 years in some cases, and I find that most have never done training on a child manikin or indeed know the differences between doing CPR on a child in comparison to administering it to an adult.

I find this very worrying, the problem is, that although the school meets the HSE/Ofsted recommendations on First Aid at Work, 90% of contact for the staff mentioned above is with children, so the chances are that 90% of first aid given will be given to a child.

So back to my question, are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid? Or as HSE would put it, is the training fit for purpose?

So what training should these staff receive?

The problem is, if these staff are all given Paediatric First Aid training, HSE do not recognise that as adequate for the purpose of First Aid at Work and the way Ofqual have set the awards, there is either First Aid at Work or Paediatric First Aid.

So do staff need both awards?

The truth is training must be fit for purpose.

Reputable training providers will always take their clients circumstances into consideration and adjust training as required, so therefore it is acceptable to train staff in First Aid at Work but also add in the differences between adults and children, (so providers rename this with things like “First Aid for School” etc) this way the staff will be properly trained to administer first aid appropriately. They will be awarded a First Aid at Work, but still understand how to adopt that to children.

But schools should be aware that not all First Aid trainers are qualify to deliver both and just because you are using long established organisations does not mean it is right, remember what I said earlier that some of the people I have spoken to have been First Aiders at school for 10 years (well before the 2013 changes) and are still not adequately trained.

At the end of the day, the responsibly lays with the school (or whoever is responsible for the school), to ensure that any training given is “fit for purpose”.

For more information you can download the DfE guidance on First Aid in Schools here www.safatraining.co.uk/first-aid

Cough CPR, and the reason this is not taught in First Aid.

Although the internet and social media sites are good for sharing information, often information is shared (with good intention) which could cause more harm than good.

I have seen articles which claim to tell you how to carry out CPR (cough CPR) on yourself, but the truth is if you are having a heart attack you do not require CPR, if you are in cardiac arrest, you are likely to be incapable of giving yourself CPR.

Let me explain why this is the case.

Many people do not understand the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, and although a heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest, they are not the same.

Someone who is having a heart attack has a interruption in the blood flow to part of the heart muscle, this is likely to cause chest pains and damage to the heart, but the heart is still pumping blood around the body and the person is still conscious and breathing.

On the other hand, someone going into cardiac arrest means their heart has stop pumping, they will lose consciousness quickly and will stop breathing or at least breathing normally. Unless treated by CPR immediately, this will lead to death within minutes.

Put in layman* terms.

Heart Attack = Interruption in the flow of blood to the heart.

Cardiac Arrest = Interruption in the beat of the heart

Both of these conditions are life threatening conditions which require urgent medical assistance.

So what do you do if you suspect you’re having a heart attack?

Dial 999 and then the good old fashioned aspirin; chew it and swallow as quickly as possible and sit quietly and calmly. Heart attacks, as said above, are cause by an interruption in the flow of blood to the heart, often a clot or a narrowed vein, by relaxing you will slow the heart down thereby reducing the amount of blood it requires, the aspirin will thin the blood to make it easier to pass the blockage.

Cough CPR is not recommended and can prove fatal.

A quote from Dr Richard O Cummins

“Dr. Richard O. Cummins, Seattle’s director of emergency cardiac care, explains that cough CPR raises the pressure in the chest just enough to maintain some circulation of oxygen-containing blood and help enough get to the brain to maintain consciousness for a prolonged period. But cough CPR should be used only by a person about to lose consciousness, an indication of cardiac arrest, he cautions.

It can be dangerous for someone having a heart attack that does not result in cardiac arrest. Such a person should call for help and then sit quietly until help arrives, he says. In other words, the procedure might be the right thing to attempt or it might be the very thing that would kill the afflicted depending on which sort of cardiac crisis is being experienced. Without a doctor there to judge the situation and, if cough CPR is indicated, to supervise the rhythmic coughing, the procedure is just far too risky for a layman* to attempt.”

So you see from this quote, that although there is a possibility that cough CPR could delay a person going into cardiac arrest, there is also a high chance that if done wrong or at the wrong time, the procedure itself could be the very thing that causes cardiac arrest.

Cough CPR is not something that doctors practice unless there is absolutely no other alternative.

Standard training for a GP is a 5 year degree, 2 foundation years, then 3 years vocational training before becoming fully qualified, specialists on the other hand may have to do additional years.

Compare that to a First Aid trained person, who is often referred to as a layman* and has usually received between 1 and 3 days training.

Anyone interested in learning First Aid can contact Safa Training for advice.

*Someone who is not trained to a high or professional standard in a particular subject.

Accident Statistics

Do your accident statistics reflect the truth?

I have been in many companies where their accident statistic report is far from what is really happening on the shop floor.

Many companies chose to manipulate their reports in order to comply for ISO or to win contracts, but in doing so they often overlook simple solutions to reduce accidents and risk hefty fines for non-compliance with Health & Safety regulations.

A while back I was asked to do a site safety report for a small company I do some work for, as with all my site safety reports, I started in the office looking over risk assessments, safe operating procedures and the accident reports.

The company employ 10 employees on the shop floor and 5 further workers in the office. The shop floor workers pick and pack small items weighing no more than 10kgs, and late afternoon load these into a couriers van, so the accident risk in the company is low to medium with the most obvious risk of injury being manual handling, so I was not surprised to see the accident rate was very low, 1 accident in the last 6 months.

While I was out on the shop floor I noticed the workers carrying out the packing were not wearing gloves and 2 of the workers had fresh looking plasters on, when I questioned them I was told the gloves supplied made packing awkward so most people chose not to wear them and that on average, there were 2 to 3 workers per week who received minor cuts.

I took up my concerns with the supervisor who told me that as they were minor cuts, they only required cleaning and plaster put on, so it was not worth all the paperwork to record them.

After completing my site safety report, I presented it to the director along with my concerns of the 2 to 3 cuts that were happening per week and going unreported. The director ensured me he had no idea of this as he had left Health & Safety in the hands of the supervisor who had been on an IOSH Managing Safety course.

I recommended they trial cut 4 gloves and supplied some demos for them which were thin and gave the wearer good dexterity. I am glad to report back that after revisiting them some 4 months later, the workers and bosses were all happy with the gloves and the accident figures were really at an all time low.

The point of the post is that:

1. No Director should just assume his / her staff are looking after Health & Safety, after all, any backlash will come straight to him / her.
2. If accidents are not reported, trends will be missed along with the opportunity to correct them.

 Remember!

All companies must appoint a competent person

Quote from HSE

“You must get help from a competent person to enable you to meet the requirements of health and safety law.

A competent person is someone who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities that allow them to assist you properly. The level of competence required will depend on the complexity of the situation and the particular help you need.”

The competent person can either be an employee, suitably trained or outside consultants can be used, but either way, it should be noted the overall responsibility remains with the Employer.

SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd  are one such consultancy company operating in Yorkshire and surrounding areas.

Need Health and Safety advice? Look up SaFA Training at www.safatraining.co.uk

E - learning

E-Learning. Don't get caught out

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Two issues have prompted me to write this article

1. I am often asked what type of training is best, E-Learning or Face to Face.
2. First Aid Training is being offered as Blended Training.

So first to part one, to answer this question, you should first ask a series of other questions.

1. What do you want to achieve from the training, i.e. what are the goals and what outcome do you want?
2. What is the best way to achieve those goals and get the desired outcome?
3. How will I record training has taken place?
4. How will I assess that learning has occurred?

When looking at training, you should look at what it is you are trying to achieve and what are the outcomes you would like to see from your training. By setting these you can then start looking at how you could best get the desired results, this may not be one type of training but could be a combination of a few, for example in a classroom you can tell someone how best to do a particular task but by assigning a mentor to them you can have them shown how to do the task.

The different types of training include:

• E-Learning is where the whole course is carried out online.
• Blended Learning is where part of the course will be delivered by E-Learning or distance learning and part by face to face contact.
• Face to Face classroom training
• Mentoring, where a qualified and experienced member of staff is allocated to work alongside and guide the learner

When planning your training, always remember the old Chinese proverb “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand”, this should help you plan the correct training method.

By having a training plan along with lesson plans and register you will be able to record all the training and should the training get disrupted, it will allow you to drop back into the correct place.

The final part of training is to assess if learning has taken place, this could be by trainer assessment or a written quiz / test. One thing to consider here is, if you have opted for E-Learning how will you test them, if the test is carried out online while the learner is sat at home, can you really be sure learning has taken place.

Let me give you a scenario, I shut you in a room with 10 random questions and a smart phone, but I have not learnt you anything, you have 30 minutes to answer the questions requiring a 70% pass mark, can you achieve this? The answer is most probably yes, because with the smart phone you can Google the answers.

Now to the second part of the article.

Over the past few years, E-Learning and Blended Learning have become increasingly popular as it is cheaper to deliver and less intrusive to production for companies.

Since the 2013 changes in the First Aid at Work legislation, some firms have started offering Blended Learning First Aid courses.

The HSE state clearly, and I quote “For the purposes of first aid at work training, regardless of the training an employer selects (FAW, EFAW or some other appropriate training for the circumstances) HSE does not accept e-learning, blended learning or any other form of distance learning as a valid form of delivery”, but there are still many firms out there who see this as an appropriate form of delivery.

There is talk that this will change in the future, but my question to you is, what if something went wrong now and your staff has only received this type of training?

So who is responsible to ensure proper training has been given?

The law states, “It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this”.

Remember, although you can contract out Health & Safety (such as training) the employer is always responsible, which means failure to ensure your training is fit for purpose will result with the employer ending up in court.

As an employer, if you end up in court due your training programme, usually the onus will be on you to prove that training took place; can you be sure that the named employee was the person who took the test if he / she are sat at home on a computer?

All learners attending an open courses have to provide photo ID, although when courses are run for employers, they rely on the employer ensuring the person named on the register / certificate is the person who attended the course.

One such company is Safa Training in Rotherham who pride themselves as offering quality training

Proof that learning took place and the person is who he / she claim to be.

Just to point out, a lot of the above may sound like I am against E-Learning or distance learning, the truth is I am not, I feel it has its place in the grand scheme of things and I have used it myself, but remember, as an employer, you have a duty to your employees and yourself to ensure any training is fit for purpose.