Businesses warned about first aid gap during summer holidays
Business owners all over the UK have been warned about a potential ‘first aid gap’ during the summer holidays when many employees are off on annual leave.
According to St John’s Ambulance, there is a risk that some businesses may not realise that their designated and trained first aiders have taken leave for holidays and child care during the summer. This could leave what has been described as a ‘first aid gap’, where there is no first aider on the business premises to deal with medical emergencies.
Even a gap of a couple of days, between one first aider leaving for a holiday and another returning from their annual leave, could be very risky. A medical emergency can take place at any time, and businesses have a legal responsibility to have the required number of first aiders on duty at any one time.
There are two possible solutions to this problem. The first is to send more staff, and possibly your entire workforce, on a first aid training course as soon as possible. The second is to plan first aid cover more efficiently, so as to bridge any ‘first aid gaps’.