Posted By Sean Fraser
Hilary is right - existing insurances should cover all work activities, including provision of first aid services. After all, provision of First Aiders is first and foremost an employee welfare provision and does more good than potential harm.
There seems to be a general fear of litigation against this provision. But we should be clear on what First Aid actually is, and more importantly, what it is not.
First Aid is exactly what it says on the tin - aid provided immediately to handle a casualty until professional medical services take over. It is not a medical service itself. It only assesses the situation and the nature / extent of any injuries, determines what level of action is appropriate to deal with this and to ensure that action is taken. Most of us will never be involved in a serious injury situation - the most we (as First Aiders) are likely to see is minor injuries such as cuts, burns and sprains. These, in many cases, could be handled by the injured party themselves - and I encourage them to do so. They don't need me to apply a plaster.
Where my training kicks in is should they have a serious injury - major cuts or even amputation, broken bones, severe burns. At this point I will have called the ambulance - my duty after that is to stabilise the casualty and monitor their condition, providing further assistance should this suddenly deteriorate.
It should be obvious that since we only use the training when we need it, and this might be only once in our working careers, then keeping it fresh is difficult unless our employer has voluntary refresher sessions in house - most currently don't. Therefore, if you interested, I would recommend you read the HSE consultation document on changes to the First Aid regs, where they suggest a shorter intial training option but increased refreshers every year instead of the current 3. There is still time (just!) to make your views known on the proposed changes and selection of options, on:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htmResponses are to be in by tomorrow, 30th November.
Therefore, the chances of being in a litiguous situation are exceptionally small - in the workplace. But I would follow the advice of others. If you provide assistance outside of work, do not claim you have any special training as this may attract trouble later. Instead, you are simply being a conscientious citizen who is doing their civil duty, nothing more. The problem is that people still equate First Aiders as being "medically trained" - not true, but it is this misconception that may lead to a claim. However, there is little chance that such a claim would be entertained as the truth on what a First Aider is actually trained in will come out quickly and be dismissed as erroeneous assumption on the part of the claimant. Just make sure that you do not try to do more (or give the impression you can do more) than your training allows.
Upshot - nothing to worry about.