First Aid for Personal Trainers

Nigel Morgan, the Founder of Ashwood Health has been involved in the Fitness and Sports Therapy profession for over 14 years. Through attending First Aid courses throughout those years he realised very early on, that the teaching was very generic and not specific for those working as a self employed individual in many different environments. These would include everything from a small gym, out on the roads, and in client’s homes or offices. Here, he needed different types of risk assessments, and sometimes improvise to new surroundings, and be prepared to change the structure of the session.

Nigel has been involved in teaching First Aid for over 8 years and more specifically, in the last three, developed a course tailored to the Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist. The content includes scenarios in different situations and environments. We talk about those high risk clients; how prepared are we? In the home environment we may need to be prepared for an emergency with a client’s child (how many of us are training post pregnancy mothers?). Therefore, this course also includes emergencies with all age groups, infant, child and adult. This is a 6 hour course covering CPR, choking, bleeding, shock, and much, much more specific to your needs.

Who is responsible?

Is this really a question we should be asking?

As professionals looking after peoples Health, Fitness and general welfare in varying ways, then, yes, we as individuals should take on the responsibility to have the skills to do the best we can in possibly helping to preserve a life. This may be a client, a friend, a brother, mother, stranger, or perhaps yourself! Would you really want to stand by and watch someone bleed to death, or possibly die because you didn’t know they had their medication in their locker?

Do you really need the HSE, REP’s, FHT, or any other governing body to make that decision?

Where do you stand legally?  HSE November 2007 (update) – Legislation

Let us start with the self employed professional, as that is where most of you really want to be, working for yourselves.

Application of the Health & Safety (First Aid) regulations1981 to self-employed.

If you are self-employed, you are required to ensure you have adequate equipment to provide first aid for yourself while at work.

You must make an assessment of the hazards and risks in your workplace and establish an appropriate level of first aid provision……many self employed people work on mixed premises……………..

Although you are legally responsible for your own first aid provision, it is sensible to make joint arrangements with the other occupiers……..

What does this mean?

You are responsible for yourself, and it makes sense to be prepared for others.

It is essential that you as an individual do your risk assessments and are prepared for those risks, a history of heart problems, diabetic, a pot hole in a field running with a client, loose carpet on the stairs to your treatment room, and, many, many more to think about, in your working and, daily environments.

First Aid at Work. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 L74

Employers’ duties

…..require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to enable first aid to be given to employees if they are injured or become ill at work. These regulations apply to all workplaces including those with five or fewer………what depends on adequate will depend on the circumstances in the workplace.

The regulations do not place a legal obligation on employers to make first aid provision for non-employers such as the public or children in schools. However, HSE strongly recommends that non-employees are included……………………..

‘Strongly recommends’, suggests it is not law, but it would be in your interests to be covered for all eventualities!

‘HSE will prosecute in cases where there is a significant risk, a disregard for established standards or persistent poor compliance with the law.’

So, who needs to make the decision of, do I really need to do a First Aid course?

If you are self employed, you, and your insurance may be void without it. Most insures are asking for a copy of your certificate in First Aid, as well as professional qualifications.

If you are looking to be employed, then it may be up to the employer to provide you with First Aid training if appropriate. However, it would be in your interests to be qualified in these skills before hand, as many small premises/businesses rely on prior training.

HSE guidelines on new courses to be introduced……A three year certificate will be issued to those who successfully complete a First Aid at Work (3 days) or Emergency First Aid (1 day) course. During any three year certification period, first aiders should undertake annual refresher training to update their basic skills. At the end of this period, it will be necessary to re-qualify.

The responsibility is yours, the choice is yours.......!