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First Aid Verification of Competency Service

1 May 2025/in Blog, News!

Ensuring Workplace Safety

In any workplace, the ability to respond effectively to emergencies, whether minor or extreme, is paramount. This capacity hinges largely on the competence of designated first aiders. However, maintaining first aid proficiency can be challenging, particularly given the recommendation in Australia that first aid skills be updated only every three years. This raises crucial questions: will your first aiders remember what they learned in their initial training? Who is responsible for ensuring that your workplace is staffed with first aiders who can act decisively and knowledgeably in an emergency?

Challenges in Maintaining First Aid Competency

First aid is a vital skill, yet like any skill, it requires regular practice to retain proficiency. Over time, without reinforcement and practical application, the knowledge and techniques learned can fade. This is particularly concerning in a workplace setting where the stakes are high; the inability to effectively administer first aid can lead to disastrous outcomes for the casualty involved.

It is not uncommon for employees trained in first aid to feel underconfident or even panic when faced with a real-life emergency if they have not had opportunities to practice their skills regularly. This is where the First Aid Verification of Competency Service comes into play, offering a practical solution to ensure that the first aiders in your workplace remain competent and prepared.

Introducing Luella’s Verification Service

Luella, an experienced first aid trainer with over 17 years of expertise, now offers a unique service designed to verify and refresh the first aid skills of your workplace first aiders. Her service is tailored to address the gap between initial training and ongoing competency, providing a means to ensure that your first aiders are ready to handle any emergency situation.

Service Components

Luella’s First Aid Verification of Competency Service includes:

2 Hour Session: This intensive session encompasses a knowledge test to determine the current level of first aid knowledge among your staff. Additionally, it includes 2-3 workplace-based scenarios using first aid equipment and props to refresh practical skills. This hands-on practice is crucial for reinforcing the techniques and procedures that may have lapsed.
Theory and Skills Refresh: Throughout the session, Luella addresses any areas where your staff feel uncertain or have forgotten critical aspects of first aid. This personalized approach ensures that all participants leave with a renewed sense of confidence and capability.
Performance Report: After the session, Luella provides a comprehensive report on each first aider’s performance. This report highlights areas of competence and identifies individuals who may need additional refresher training to meet the required standards.

Cost and Logistics

The cost for this service is $300, with an additional $50 travel fee (travel fee may vary if outside our service area – please enquire). GST is not included in these fees. Considering the potential consequences of having undertrained first aiders, this investment is a small price to pay for ensuring workplace safety and preparedness.

The Importance of Regular Verification

Regular verification and skill refreshment are essential to maintaining high standards of first aid competency within any organization. By opting for Luella’s service, you are taking proactive steps to safeguard your employees and create a safer work environment. The benefits are clear:

Enhanced Confidence: Verified training boosts the confidence of first aiders, ensuring they feel prepared to handle emergencies effectively.
Increased Preparedness: Regular practice and testing keep first aiders’ skills sharp, reducing the likelihood of panic or hesitation during an actual emergency.
Compliance: Ensuring your first aiders remain competent helps meet workplace health and safety regulations, protecting your organization from potential liabilities.

Conclusion

Investing in the First Aid Verification of Competency (VOC) Service is a commitment to workplace safety and the well-being of your employees. By regularly verifying and refreshing the skills of your first aiders, you ensure that your workplace is prepared to respond to emergencies swiftly and effectively, no matter how minor or extreme. Luella’s expertise and tailored approach offer a practical solution to maintaining first aid competence, providing peace of mind and security for your entire organization.

Don’t leave your workplace’s emergency preparedness to chance. Ensure your first aiders are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to act decisively and confidently. Contact Luella today to schedule a verification session and take the first step towards a safer, more prepared workplace.

Call 07) 3901 0599

Email: info@firstaidaction.com.au

Severe Bleeding – tourniquet or pressure?

29 April 2025/in Blog

When to Use a Tourniquet

According to the Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines, a tourniquet should be used in situations where there is severe bleeding that is life-threatening and cannot be controlled by direct pressure. Time is a critical factor to prevent blood loss that can lead to potential fatality. Stopping a life threatening bleed will take a priority over airway and breathing interventions. Scenarios where a tourniquet is appropriate include:

Extremity injuries with significant blood loss such as an amputation, partial amputation, open fractures, shark attack, propeller cuts or similar.
Instances where direct pressure does not suffice to manage the bleeding on a limb
Situations where the location or nature of the injury makes it difficult to apply direct pressure on the limb.
Inadequate resources or time to control bleeding through other means such as applying pressure to the wound.

How to Use a Tourniquet for a Life-Threatening Bleed

Using a tourniquet effectively can be vital in controlling severe bleeding. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Identify the site of the severe bleeding.
Place the tourniquet approximately 5-10 cm above the bleeding site, avoiding joints.
Tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops, ensuring it is secure but not causing further injury.
Cover the exposed wound with sterile dressings if available but do not cover the tourniquet.
Note the time of application, as prolonged use can cause damage to the tissues.
Seek the ambulance immediately after applying the tourniquet.

Alternative Tourniquet Options

If a commercially manufactured tourniquet is not available, various items can be used as improvised tourniquets. These include:

Belts
Strips of cloth or clothing
Scarves or bandanas
Ropes or cords

When using an improvised tourniquet, ensure that the material used is strong enough to withstand the pressure needed to stop the bleeding and that it can be secured tightly. Follow the same guidelines for placement and tightening as for a standard tourniquet.

The appropriate and timely use of a tourniquet can save lives in critical situations. Always prioritize seeking professional medical assistance promptly and follow the guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness. Follow the ANZCOR guidelines of DRSABCD if the casualty becomes unconscious and not breathing.

Can you assist with an Asthma Attack?

8 April 2025/in Blog

Staff from Dexus (Indooroopilly Shopping Centre Management) learning how to assist with an Asthma Attack.

Facts on Asthma in Australia: (information collected from Asthma Australia):

Almost 2.8 million people have asthma in Australia
Asthma is the leading cause of disease for children up to 14 years
There were 474 deaths due to Asthma in 2023.

As a First Aider in the workplace, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of asthma and how to help a work colleague if they develop symptoms.

Asthma symptoms include:

Coughing that won’t go away
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Unable to speak or say sentences
Chest Tightness
Feeling tired
Becoming sweaty
Silent asthma – no symptoms at all until they are unwell.

Please download the below poster from Asthma Australia and pop it up in your first aid room in the workplace as a reminder on how to assist a casualty with Asthma:

AAFA-First-Aid-2023-A3_CMYK_v10_Blue-1

It is highly recommended to practice assisting a casualty with a spacer and inhaler under professional instruction in a first aid class near you. Please contact First Aid Action RTO 31668 on 07) 3901 0599 to book into one of our courses or check out our website www.firstaidaction.qld.edu.au for more information.

What is a Log Roll?

3 April 2025/in Blog

Luella demonstrating a Log Roll.

A log roll or also known as a spinal roll, is when you are needing to place a casualty with a back injury onto their side very carefully. The main reasons why you would need to do this is to protect the airway & breathing if the casualty is unconscious, or the casualty is needing to vomit or there is severe bleeding to stop on their back to access the wound. If the casualty is conscious and able to breathe then it is best to hold their head and not move them (unless danger is present) so that unnecessary movement may cause further injury to the neck and spine. Leaving an unconscious casualty too long on their back can increase the risk of choking on their tongue relaxing onto the airway and bodily fluids. The Australian Resuscitation council guidelines state that the protection of a person’s airway and breathing is priority.

The person at the head always takes control of the roll with at least two other people on one side and roll the person together keeping the neck and spine in alignment. It is always best to learn this important technique under instruction from a trained professional in a first aid course so you have the confidence to perform this skill at home or in the workplace.

Contact First Aid Action RTO 31668 for further information: 07 3901 0599 or email us at info@firstaidaction.com.au

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