I have a situation in several of my company sites where we cannot get volunteers to undertake the role of 1st aiders, risks are low mainly office. An incentive is offered but still no one comes forward.
Where do we stand as we cannot press gang staff into undertaking the training but need to meet the 1st Aid at Work Regs.
If you have been having this problem, your comments and suggestions would be most appreciated as to how you have overcome this.

Martin,

I'm really surprised that you're struggling to get volunteers. I've always found that people are keen to undertake First Aid, especially because it provides a skill that is genuinely of use out of the workplace too! Normally, I also find that people are pleased to see that you're investing in them, so I wonder if there are some other perceived barriers (including possible peer pressure) within the workplace?

Would be happy to pop along to meet you and some of the team to try to get a better understanding and make some suggestions; just let me know if that's of interest!

Jodie

Often people have unfounded fears about being a first aider, that they could be liable if it goes wrong, that it's very difficult or complicated, that they'll be at risk of infection, that they'd have to get involved in road traffic collisions. You could find these out and address them, and also point out the benefits in being able to look after their own families and in not having to feel the guilt of not having known what do to help someone. You could set up an information session about first aid explaining what it's all about and answering questions, there are video resources you could use for this for example from the British Heart Foundation.

The other option is to make first aid a mandatory part of some jobs. I like the idea of this being the managers!

Martin

Kate is spot on I reckon with the probable need to dispel ignorance and misperceptions, and highlight the fact that first aid is a life skill which can prove invaluable for home and leisure situations as well as at work. First aid organisations such as St John Ambulance and British Red Cross will almost certainly have useful literature, etc. Try their websites for starters.

Another tack, if feasible, could be for your emplyer to offer free emergency first aid training to all employees irrespective of rank and occupation, and in work time. Quite a number of my employer's schools have a positive policy of ensuring that all of their staff (support staff as well as teaching staff) have emergency first aid training. This probably helps to avoid problems in maintaining reasonably sized complements of fully trained first aiders in such schools.

It's also appropriate to add that an increasing number of my employer's schools offer first aid training for pupils, including older primary age pupils. Also I understand that some councils in the UK have a policy of providing/offering such training in all of their schools - which I think is great. If more and more pupils/young people get to know and understand first aid principles and practice, this would hopefully lead over time to fewer employers having problems of the sort which prompted this discussion topic!