We all know the importance of being prepared, particularly when it comes to business, and one of the most vital areas of consideration will be the health and safety of your employees. First aid should be at the top of the agenda, but as with so many things in life knowledge is key.

Develop an understanding

As an employer you need to make sure you understand your wider obligations, and that means thoroughly perusing (and taking on board) all applicable health and safety legislation is vital. It’s important you’re able to meet your legal requirements but you want to make sure you’re putting the care of your employees first too, and unless you know the basic rules and regulations you’ll never be quite sure that you’re doing the right thing. Developing an understanding is vital, but remember that it’s important for your employees to understand their own obligations too.

Yes, you’re ultimately responsible for the health of your workers but a bit of knowledge and common sense can go a long way, and they need to be aware of the first aid procedures in place as well as the steps they can take to reduce risk to themselves and their colleagues as much as possible. It’s all about working together to ensure you provide a safe, productive and enjoyable place in which to work, and if everyone understands the basics of first aid provision (and health and safety in general) you’ll be one step closer to achieving that.

Get suitable training

Training will of course be a core part of ensuring everyone has suitable knowledge, but the type of training required will depend on a whole range of different aspects from the size of your business to the industry you operate in. But, one of the most important points you need to bear in mind is that your appointed person should always have the required level of training—there needs to be at least one member of staff who’s been on appropriate first aid courses, thereby ensuring you’re meeting your legal requirements whilst improving the safety of your workplace in the process. You don’t have to stop there though—just about every employee could benefit from a basic overview in first aid, with health and safety awareness often being a core part of any new starter’s training package.

Find the supplies you need

But, knowledge of the medical supplies you’ll need will be just as important. Whilst there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to equipment it’s important to be prepared, and if you’re looking for the supplies to suit you’ve come to the right place. We can give you access to all the equipment you could need from basic kits to IV supplies, and we can even provide medical textbooks should you want more specific understanding. They say that knowledge is power, so make sure you have a thorough overview of first aid and you can be confident in doing the best you can for your business.

Medical emergencies can occur at any time. However, they’re more likely to happen in certain scenarios. For example, when people take part in sport, they put their bodies under strain and often face risky situations, meaning they are in greater danger of sustaining physical damage.

If your organisation is involved in sports, it’s important you have access to all the first aid equipment you need. Being able to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively can minimise suffering and even save lives.

New training initiative

In Scotland, a new initiative is being launched to increase safety. The National Stadium Sports Health and Injury Centre, with funding from The Scottish Football Partnership, is launching a Football First Aid course. Under the scheme, more than 1,000 coaches will be taught important first aid techniques, including CPR. The programme will help coaches who are involved in semi-professional football, as well as the women’s, amateur and youth leagues.

The development has come in response the high-profile incident last year involving Fabrice Muamba. During a Bolton FA Cup tie against Tottenham in March 2012, the footballer collapsed. His heart stopped for a total of 78 minutes, but he was able to recover thanks to the impressive medical treatment he received.

Owen Coyle

Former Bolton manager Owen Coyle travelled up to Glasgow recently to launch the initiative. He remarked: “I was very humbled and delighted to be asked to be involved. I drove up from England to play such a small part today because it’s something that I think is very important.”

He added: “There are over a thousand places for people to have this training, and if it helps one kid it’s fantastic to have that education and be on hand to help in such a situation. There are games going on up and down the country all weekend and there might not be people with the right training to deal with the situation. Hopefully this will help.”

Someone at every pitch

Meanwhile, Dr John Maclean, medical director at the National Stadium Sports Health and Injury Clinic, stated: “Nowadays we are pretty well organised medically at the top end in sport but the beauty of this course is it’s designed for the parent or the coach or even the athlete. We are really keen to see someone at every pitch, every swimming pool and every athletics track with this training.”

Stocking up

If it’s time your organisation stocked up on sports first aid kits, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Bound Tree Medical we’re experts when it comes to products like this and should have everything you need. You can see us as your one-stop-shop for these items.

In total, we have more than 18,000 products available in our 15,000 square foot European office, which is based in Telford, Shropshire. Thanks to our efficient operating system, you won’t have to wait long for the items to arrive.

See for yourself

If you’d like to see our first aid kits for yourself, just take a look around our extensive online catalogue.