Precast Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 21) A MINIMUM-SKILL FIRST AID TRAINING COURSE, CONSISTING OF A SIX- TO EIGHT-HOUR BASIC COURSE EVERY THREE YEARS, PROVIDES A SOLID BASE FROM WHICH TO BUILD MORE ADVANCED TRAINING PROGRAMS. istock.com Emergency Medical Assistants regulations that outline the requirements for first responders and industrial first aid training with various levels of competency. Each has its own standards and its own time-oriented limits (rather than performanceoriented) for certification or completion. A six- to eight-hour basic first aid course every three years is practical. This minimum-skill course provides a solid base from which to build more advanced training programs. Performance-oriented training criteria could be used for “refresher” or renewal classes rather than repeating another complete class every three years, based on the person’s response history. However, for a person who has not used the skills or knowledge within the three years, the basic first aid course should be repeated in its entirety. First aid performance can be maintained by conducting annual drills or competency tests between recertification periods. Practical skills assessment may be enough of a refresher for a person who is active on a response team at work. Once you make the investment to train responders, it is often more cost-effective to allow them to maintain current standards and practice than to have to retrain them again from the beginning. Overall, the intent of the regulatory requirement is to ensure timely and rapid response to anyone injured in the workplace. OSHA requires that there be a three- to four-minute response time to any emergency on site. It can be by outside agencies if the response time can be met. Otherwise, OSHA requires the employer to train employees to respond. Training hours vary. OSHA does not directly require CPR training as part of the first aid outline, but the standard states that “in the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity (three minutes) to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid.” It then becomes obvious that CPR is a necessary part of the training package. To address the training requirements, including CPR, the training must follow nationally recognized standards, such as those defined by the American Red Cross or the National Safety Council. This places the training at a minimum of eight hours. The American Red Cross has modular courses available (CPR in four hours, which includes conducting an initial assessment, and choking assessment and treatment of injuries in the last four hours). The modules are not recognized by OSHA unless the full course is taken. The quality of first aid training is an issue through the instructor selection process by the varying agencies. It is possible for designated “commercial” instructors to have varying levels of proficiency in skills, whether in first aid response or communication skills in a classroom. Some instructors are trained emergency medical technicians or paramedics and run calls with local rescue agencies. Some are simply “certified” by a certifying agency. Compliance is enforced through OSHA during regular or random inspections and may be checked if an injury or fatality has occurred. As the quality of the trainer determines the success of the first aid program, the monitoring of trainer standards is very important. There are requirements specified for trainers by the various agencies, but rarely are the certifying agencies able to MAY/JUNE 2008 | WWW.PRECAST.ORG 21 http://istock.com http://www.precast.org
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