When accidents happen on worksites, it’s great to know some basic first aid skills so you can offer medical assistance before the professionals arrive and take over. The good news is that most basic first aid techniques are easy to learn and master and are taught in basic first aid training courses.
Here are the top 8 skills you’ll learn.
One of the most useful first aid skills you will learn is how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Knowing how to give CPR to an injured person can help to save their life.
Over the last few years, the recommended CPR process has changed from administering chest compressions and breathing assistance to just giving hands-only CPR, which focuses on the chest compression’s part only. During your training, you’ll be shown how to give CPR and will be able to practice on a mannequin.
Another important first aid skill is how to make a splint that can be used to immobilise a broken bone. This will help the injured party by reducing pain and lessening the severity of the injury until they can be treated by medical professionals.
Most workplaces should have a splint roll in their first aid kits that you can use to make a splint, but if not, one can be made from everyday materials that you have around the worksite. During your first aid course, you will be shown how to make a splint and attach it to the injured person.
When someone gets a cut or other abrasion, you must know how to clean and dress the wound. This can help reduce the risk of infection, which in turn reduces the severity of the injury.
During first aid training, you will be shown how to properly clean a wound and then wrap it up correctly using bandages or other materials you have handy.
If a co-worker has an allergic reaction caused by consuming certain foods, from animal bites, chemical positioning, etc., you need to know what signs to look out for and what first-aid should be administered.
Sometimes a simple allergic reaction can cause anaphylaxis which, if left untreated, can be deadly. The recommended treatment in this situation is to administer an adrenaline injection which requires you to know about the appropriate doses and how to administer it.
When accidents and other traumatic events occur, it’s common for the injured party to go into a state of shock. When this happens, the person can act irrationally and make their injuries worse if they are not treated.
Therefore, you must learn to recognise the symptoms of shock and what to do when you see them. In first aid training, you’ll learn how to keep the injured person calm and their blood pressure stable until the paramedics arrive.
When somebody gets injured and starts to bleed, it’s essential you know how to stop the bleeding as a rapid loss of blood can be fatal.
During first aid training, you’ll be shown how to use pressure to stop bleeding by applying bandages and in severe cases a tourniquet. This will reduce the risk the injured party loses consciousness before paramedics arrive.
Heatstroke or hyperthermia is when somebody starts to experience exhaustion due to exposure to high temperatures. This is a common occurrence in Australia due to our hot weather.
During your first aid training, you’ll be shown what to do when somebody starts to experience symptoms such as a headache—and then how to give them fluids and apply a wet cloth to give them some relief before paramedics arrive. You must act quickly as when left untreated, heat exhaustion will lead to heatstroke, which can be deadly.
Knowing how to treat burns is a very important first aid skill that you should know. When burns are severe, they can easily become infected and cause the victim immense pain.
During first aid training, you will be shown how to inspect burns to determine their degree and then apply treatment so you can reduce the pain and risk of infection for the victim.
Knowing these 8 first aid techniques will help you reduce the severity of injuries and in some cases save lives. The good news is that learning first aid has never been easier. At Vigil Training College, we offer approved first aid training with flexible class times.
Check out our first aid course for more information and to make a booking.
