First Aid University of Leicester Policy and Guidance Document 2014

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Contents Page Page Number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Policy Statement University Profile Types of First Aiders Number of First Aiders Mobile Workers Special Circumstances Training Contents of First Aid Boxes Accident Reporting Roles/Responsibilities

3 3 4 5 7 8 8 8 9 9

10.1 First Aiders 10.2 Building Safety Supervisors/Departmental Safety Officers 10.3 Safety Services 10.4 Staff Development 10.5 Occupational Health

Appendices: Appendix 1: Lists of Contacts

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First Aid University of Leicester Policy and Guidance Document

1. Policy Statement It is the policy of University of Leicester to provide a safe and healthy working environment for employees. The University of Leicester also has a duty of care to visitors to its site, which includes students attending the University. In respect to First Aid arrangements, the University will fulfil its obligations by: i)

ensuring their employees and students receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work, irrespective of whether the injury or illness was caused by the work or activities they do.

ii)

ensuring first-aid provision is adequate and appropriate for the circumstances. This means that sufficient first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel should be available at all times, taking account of alternative working patterns, to either give immediate assistance to casualties, or summon an ambulance or other professional help.

The main legislation which is relevant to this subject is The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

2. University Profile Excluding sporting injuries, there are approximately 200 accidents reported at the University each year. The most common types of incidents reported are falls on a level (covering slips, trips and falls), manual handling injuries, and injuries by sharps (catering sharps, laboratory sharps and glass in bins etc.). Using the data on the size of the University population, and the type of accidents we have, this equates to a ‘low risk’ profile. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 suggest that initial first aid provision should be based on a ratio of first aider: employee numbers. However, given the large non-employee population (students) based at the University (whom we also have a duty of care to), the spread of the campus, the movement of the University population throughout each working day and the change in population over each academic year, using this method can become difficult to manage. A more pragmatic approach is to provide first aid cover based on area, that is, to ensure we have a suitable and sufficient spread of first aiders across the campus, with additional first aiders for any known high risk areas/activities (such as certain field trips or maintenance work). Cover for first aid will be provided by the following: -

Trained staff in each building/area.

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-

Security staff, who are able to respond to any calls but possibly not as quickly at local responders.

It should also be noted that in the event of an emergency, the emergency services can be called.

3. Types of First Aiders There are currently three classes of first aiders, two of which require formal training. These classes are summarised below. It should be noted that the names of these classes were changed in 2013. Previous names for the qualification are detailed as necessary below. Appointed Persons: Do not require formal training. Role is to maintain first aid equipment, and in an emergency, know the location of the first aid box and be able to call emergency services. Emergency First Aid at Work (previously known as the Appointed Persons Course): Undertake a one day course, every three years. On completion of training, successful candidates should be able to: 

      

Understand the role of the first-aider, including reference to:  the importance of preventing cross infection;  the need for recording incidents and actions;  use of available equipment; Assess the situation and circumstances in order to act safely, promptly and effectively in an emergency; Administer first aid to a casualty who is unconscious (including seizure); Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Administer first aid to a casualty who is choking; Administer first aid to a casualty who is wounded and bleeding; Administer first aid to a casualty who is suffering from shock; Provide appropriate first aid for minor injuries (including small cuts, grazes and bruises, minor burns and scalds, small splinters).

First Aid at Work: Undertake a three day course, renewed every three years with a shorter refresher course. On completion of training, successful candidates should be able to perform all of the roles of an Emergency First Aider, and in addition:  Administer first aid to a casualty with:  injuries to bones, muscles and joints, including suspected spinal injuries;  chest injuries;  burns and scalds;  eye injuries;  sudden poisoning;  anaphylactic shock.  Recognise the presence of major illness (including heart attack, stroke, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes) and provide appropriate first aid.

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The University currently trains people in the Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW), First Aid at Work (FAW) and First Aid at Work Refresher qualifications. Some health professionals are exempt from requiring a qualification in first aid. Doctors registered and licenced with the General Medical Council, nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and paramedics registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council are all qualified to administer first aid in the workplace without the need to hold a FAW or EFAW, provided they can demonstrate current knowledge and skills in first aid. However, it should not be assumed that if they are working in a medical environment (e.g. in a University building on a hospital site) that there is already adequate first aid cover provided by medical staff. If some first aiders in the building are health professionals and do not require training, this information should be passed to Staff Development who can keep these details on record. Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)/First Aid at Work (FAW) in the University The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Guidelines advise that for low hazard environments, such as offices, appointed persons should be used if staff numbers are below 25, with EFAW appointed for more than this (at a ratio of 1:50 or 1:100, depending on spread of the workforce). Higher hazard environments, including laboratories, a mixture of FAW/EFAW should be appointed, depending on numbers of staff and the hazards that are present. In the University, we aim to follow this Guidance. For office-based departments, and similar low risk activities carried out in lecture theatres, tutorial rooms etc., EFAW cover will be used (category C – see table 1). For higher risk areas, such as laboratories a mixture of EFAW and FAW should be in place, with the ratio of 75% FAW, 25% EFAW (category A). All buildings should have a good spread of both throughout the building/working day. For low risk areas with a higher footfall (for example, the Library), there should be a 25% FAW, 75% EFAW ratio in place (category B), again ensuring a good spread of both classes of first aider throughout the building and during working hours. For special circumstances (for example, a laboratory using a specific hazardous chemical that requires specialist or additional first aid procedures), it is anticipated that additional specific training will be sought on a case-by-case basis determined by the department concerned.

4. Numbers of First Aiders Due to the movement of the University population round campus, it can be difficult to use the HSE guidance on ratios. Therefore, the University base first aid provision will be based on area. Table 1 below shows the number of first aiders required per building, listed by building. For buildings containing a lot of plant and equipment, or smaller buildings, these numbers were adjusted to take this into consideration. All numbers are based on full occupancy of buildings and should be reduced where appropriate for partial occupancy if an area of the building is not used. The numbers in this Table do not take into consideration special circumstances, such as field trips. It should be ensured that first aiders are distributed around the building and are able to cover working hours (i.e. are not off-site for their regular work). 5

It should be noted, that in buildings who only have one first aider, arrangements can be made with adjacent buildings to provide additional cover, or alternatively Security staff can be called to cover any incidents that occur when a first aider is not present, however they may take much longer to attend if they are elsewhere on campus. Table 1: Building Name Central Campus Adrian Building Archaeology & Ancient History Building Astley Clarke Building Attenborough Seminar & Tower Bennett Building/Link/Underpass Chaplaincy Charles Wilson Building Central Research Facility College House Computer Biocentre Computer Science Building Danielle Brown Sports Centre David Wilson Library Engineering Building/Annex/Concrete Lab/Design Lab Fielding Johnson Building George Porter Building Henry Wellcome Building Ken Edwards Building Maurice Shock Medical Sciences Building Michael Atiyah Building & Annex Percy Gee (Students Union) Physics Building Richard Attenborough Centre North Campus Fraser Noble Building New Walk, 106 New Walk, 132 (Bankfield House) Princess Road East, 103-105 Princess Road East, 107-111A Princess Road East, 54 Princess Road West, 22-28 Princess Road West, 9 Regent Road, 104 Regent Road, 128 Regent Road, 134

Number of FAW/EFAW

FAW/EFAW ratio category

8 2 2 7 8 1 8 4 1 2 1

A A C B A C B A C C C D B A

8 6 6 6 8 4 10 3

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5 4

C A A B A A D A B

2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1

B C C C C C C C C C C

Regent Road, 94 (Prospect House) Regent Road, 96-98 (Readson House) Salisbury Road, 1 Salisbury Road, 14 Salisbury Road, 3-5 Salisbury Road, 6 Salisbury Road, 7-9 University Road, 15 University Road, 19 (Museum Studies Building) University Road, 2

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

C C C C C C C C C C

University Road, 21 and Cafe University Road, 6 Upper New Walk, 152-154 Upper New Walk, 162-166 South Campus Chiswick Road, 5 (Unit 12) Library Bookstore (Putney Road) Putney Road West, 20 Student Health Centre & Freemen’s Common Houses Leicester Royal Infirmary Robert Kilpatrick CSB Glenfield Hospital Clinical Sciences Wing Cardiovascular Research Centre General Hospital Oadby Campus Roger Bettles Sports Centre Residential Buildings Brookfield All buildings on site inc. PG Teaching Centre Other Minor sites Greenwood Institute

1 1 1 1

C C C C

3 1 1 2

A C A C

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A

2 3

A A

D D 9

C

1

C

5. Mobile Workers There are a large number of mobile workers at the University – i.e. those who are affiliated to a department but work all over campus. These workers, if not first aid trained themselves, should ensure they are aware of the first aid arrangements for the building/department they are working in. If this is not possible then they should be familiar with how to call Security staff, all of whom are trained first aiders and can respond in an emergency.

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6. Special Circumstances There may be some circumstances whereby a department needs more first aiders than are allocated to the building it occupies – during field trips to remote locations for example. For field trips to museums etc., it should be assumed (unless otherwise known), that the host institution will have adequate first aid cover for visitors. There are some buildings and departments which do not fall under the categories set out in the HSE Guidance, these areas are classified as having special circumstances (category D). The levels of first aid coverage are defined by the risk assessment of the area and such buildings include the Students Union and the two University Sports Centre. The residential buildings are also collected under this heading as the buildings are used in different ways than the academic buildings. In any special circumstances it is anticipated that the department should approach Staff Development for justification of the extra training required. Staff Development, in conjunction with Safety Services, will review this need. This should be done well in advance of needing the extra first aiders, to allow time for training to be carried out as necessary.

7. Training The University currently trains people in the Emergency First Aid at Work, First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work Refresher qualifications. First aid training will be arranged through Staff Development. They will arrange training in accordance with the ratios in Table 1. The advice of Safety Services can be sought where clarification is required on ratios. Contact details can be found in Appendix 1 of this document.

8. Contents of First Aid boxes There is no mandatory list of items to put in a first-aid box, as it will depend on the departmental risk assessment and the rate at which supplies are used. The HSE First Aid Regulations state that as a guide, where work activities involve low hazards, a minimum stock of first-aid items might be: 1 to 10 persons (1 to 50 in brackets): 1 x Guidance Leaflet; 20 (40) x individually wrapped sterile plasters (assorted sizes), appropriate to the type of work (you can provide hypoallergenic plasters, if necessary); 2 (4) x sterile eye pads; 4 (6) x individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile; 6 x safety pins; 2 (4) x large, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings; 6 (10) x medium-sized, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings; 5 pairs of disposable gloves (see HSE’s free leaflet: ‘Latex and You’). 8

Safety Services stock all of the items listed above. Any orders can be made via email, to [email protected] Safety Services are also able to provide foil blankets and month-to-mouth resuscitators if the departmental risk assessment deems these as necessary. Depending on the type of work to be carried out, it may also be necessary to include additional items in the first aid kit(s)/working area, such as saline eye wash bottles. The need for additional items like this should be risk assessed on a case-by-case basis. Safety Services are unable to supply specialist items such as eye wash bottles, they should be ordered through an external supplier.

9. Accident Reporting Any accident which requires first aid should be reported to the Safety Services Office, using the accident reporting form (https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/safety-services/general-health-andsafety/general-health-and-safety#a). First aiders are not responsible for completing an accident report form, although it is often the case that they do complete it, given their knowledge of the situation. Further information about how to complete the accident reporting form can be found in separate guidance on the Safety Services website (https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/safetyservices/documents/pdfs/accident-guidance.pdf).

10. Roles and Responsibilities 10.1 First Aiders First aiders will:  



Attend all training as required. Give first aid as required. The University’s Public Liability cover will apply in respect of actions by qualified FAW/EFAW where arising from the day-to-day business of the University. This insurance also covers University FAW/EFAW providing first aid to members of the public, within University facilities or within a reasonably close vicinity of the premises. Please note: if a first aider becomes involved in situations that are not connected with their employment by the University, they should ensure they have their own Public Liability in place. Inform Staff Development, Safety Services and their DSO of any relocation which may change first aider ratios in their department/building.

10.2 Building Safety Supervisors/Departmental Safety Officers Building Safety Supervisors/Departmental Safety Officers will: 9



    

In single occupancy buildings, DSOs will ensure they have the correct number of first aiders for that building. In buildings occupied by multiple departments, DSOs will work in collaboration with the Building Safety Supervisor to ensure the building as a whole has the correct number of first aiders, and these first aiders are located around the building. Arrange suitable replacement(s) to be nominated for first aid training when people leave/move/are unable to continue as a first aider. Ensure that the ratio of EFAW/FAW is correct for the building. Post notices around the building, informing people of the first aiders in the building, and how to find them (floor/room number/phone number). Ensure that any specialist first aid equipment is sourced and maintained in accordance with the Risk Assessment. For departments with mobile staff the DSO is to carry out a risk assessment and determine the number of first aid staff to cover the mobile workload in additional to any building based staff.

10.3 Safety Services: Safety Services will:  

Review first aider numbers in buildings periodically. In conjunction with Staff Development, review first aider requirements for special circumstances.

10.4 Staff Development Staff Development will:  Carry out all administration regarding booking and arranging first aid training.  Send out reminder emails to staff who are coming to the end of their qualification period, to allow them to book onto refresher training courses.  In conjunction with Safety Services, review first aider requirements for special circumstances.

10.5 Occupational Health: Occupational Health will:  

Provide specialist medical advice where required. Advise on the first aid requirements for the University.

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Appendix 1: List of Contacts

Safety Services: Website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/safety-services Phone number: 0116 252 2426 Email: [email protected]

Staff Development: Website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/staff-development Phone number: 0116 252 5118 Email: [email protected]

Occupational Health: Website: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/hr/policies/health/occupational-health/our-services Phone number: 0116 252 3263

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