Now this answer is for most workplaces, there may well be some exceptions!

I don't think it's even best practice?
Nice practice maybe, but as long as you have enough first aiders you are compliant with all HSE guidance.

if someone really need first aid - e.g. CPR I am sure the gender of the administering person won't be an issue
if it's serious and the person really has an issue with the gender of the first aider then it has to be 999 (112) time (And there is NO system I know of for requesting the gender of the paramedics)

First aid is what it says on the tin - first aid. For 99% of things gender is not going to be an issue.

As I understand it, even the most observant of the religions who require segregation of sexes, preserving life takes precedence over modesty, although I am happy to be corrected on this.

In a workplace situation I agree with the previous posters: resuscitation and major bleeds need urgent attention, the PC brigade can stand aside.

We have two female first aiders and 5 male first aiders, plus an additional two male first aiders on night shift (we have no ladies on nightshift). This is purely because we can and it is nice thing to offer, not because there is any particular requirement for it.

I agree with all the above posts. Many years ago I worked for a large multi national company and was the only male in my dept which had no first aider. When asked for volunteers I was the only one who offered my services and was told I wasnt allowed to be first aider in the dept "in case there was anyone with female problems" total PC madness IMHO.

Only one option, sprit: hermaphrodites

I am absolutely baffled as to why a woman would want a female first aider. This is after all first aid we are talking about and not intimate examinations or advice!

Not practical and not necessary....can someone enlighten me as to why this would even need to be considered?

I despair.

If I needed 1st Aid treatment, I couldn't care less if you were male, female, blue, white, black or pink.

This is a non issue.

Pretty sure if someone who had an issue with being treated by a member of the opposite sex, was in a serious 1st aid situation they would very quickly change their mind

So John
If someone keels over with a heart attack for example or an arterial bleed the first aider has to run around to ensure he has a chaperone before applying first aid?? Ridiculous - I'll take my chance if it means I might just have been able to save someone's life!!

Thanks all for the comments. I can assure you I am of the same view as regards not being bothered who treats who, however comments have been made in the past by the younger generation. Anyway, as you say we ask if we don't get, no big deal. :)

Whilst most of us seem convinced that the gender of first aiders should be irrelevant the fact remains that for some of our colleagues it is seen to be an issue.

One of our (3) first aiders recently left the business so I sent an e-mail out asking for a volunteer to replace her. I received 3 offers and after consulting with HR chose one of them to get trained and to join the FA 'team'.

I then sent e-mails to the other 2 volunteers thanking them for their interest etc. When I sent out the 'global' e-mail explaining that a new first-aider had been identified I received 2 quick replies from women asking what the gender of the new first-aider was.

Happily, and by happenstance rather than design, we had selected a female candidate (to augment the remaining 2 males) so all was well in the world but I can imagine that had we selected a 3rd male that there would have been 'issues' with certain of the female employees.

OK on taking your chances.
God luck with that.
If accused you will be arrested.
Photographed, fingerprinted and dna'ed.
The arrest will stay on your record, irrespective of results.
Good luck with an enhanced crb after that.

I'm sure you will be ok. Plenty of witnesses.
But.
If you DO get accused of anything.....you will be arrested and all the rest.....no maybe about it.
S.O.P.

teh_boy and others who provide first aid training for others on a voluntary basis should be commended, as should those who provide first aid cover.

As forum regulars may recall, one of my pet themes is for schools to offer first aid training to pupils/students as a life skill for most situations anywhere, anytime. Even emergency first aid training would be better than nothing at all - as is the case for most young people, especially if they haven't belonged to youth organisations such as the Scouts, Guides or air cadets.

p.s. JohnMurray - Who or what is S.O.P.? This abbreviation may be known to some forum users, but not everybody. If it's just me and perhaps a few others who don't know, it's further evidence in support of my Dip.Ig [Diploma in Ignorance] qualification as mentioned in the concurrent forum topic "Designatory Letters"!!!

quote=Graham Bullough]....Who or what is S.O.P.?

How depressing.

I wouldn't want to live in fear of such an (unlikely) event of someone suing me for supposed abuse during giving first aid.

Sometimes in life you just have to not worry about the 'what if's' or else you'd never live at all.

a friends lad is in the scouts and was having the first aid training with the doll for doing cpr, the trainer was male but had to have a female in the room or he wasnt allowed to start.

a distribution company where i worked had all male first aiders, a few women in the office complained about not having a female first aider, when asked if they would do it they said no, they expected the company to hire an extra person just to train them in first aid.

if your not willing to do something yourself you shouldnt complain and be grateful of the people that are willing to be trained and help.

Not all problems requiring first aid are simple - may just want to see a first aider for counselling"

Hilary I'm sorry but when did counselling become first aid?

Counselling or advice about minor personal health issues became first aid when we became a caring organisation. In the same way as offering to re-dress injuries that happened at home and checking for infection, etc. Even though these things have nothing to do with work, we offer the service. Not everything is about rules, sometimes you do it because it's just the right thing to do and because you can.

It seems from some responses that some forum users and/or the people they advise are unsure as to what first aid actually is. If so, it causes a bit of a problem for discussion of this topic. I encounter ignorance/lack of knowledge about first aid from time to time when helping my employer resolve complaints made by parents of pupils about first aid at schools. Some parents clearly have no idea what first aid is and bizarrely imagine that school first aiders somehow are external versions of hospital accident & emergency (A&E) department staff. This aspect is yet another reason why it's a good idea for school pupils to be offered training in first aid appropriate to their age and understanding. If such training could be made standard the UK might in time have a significant proportion of the population who could render first aid when needed and have a sensible understanding of first aid provision in schools and other workplaces.

Some forum users might be suprised to learn that there is no apparently legislation which specifically requires schools to provide first aid for pupils! This also surprises parents who have unreasonable expectations about school first aid. In practice, schools usually have good standards of first aid cover for pupils for various reasons which include their general duty of care to pupils.

As for counselling, some employers do provide this for their employees. My own employer for example, a sizeable local authority, has an arrangement with an external counselling organisation to which employees (irrespective of position, full time or part time, etc) with work and/or home related problems can self-refer or be referred by their line managers. The information available to employees about the counselling service includes the fact that they have the option to ask for male or female counsellors.

I'm intrigued about the scenario described by cbrpete regarding the alleged need for a female to be present when scouts were being trained in resuscitation using a mannequin. When I was in the Scouts in the late 1960s/early 1970s we had such training from time to time using a mannequin. Though it had a female-shaped torso, hence its common name of "Resusi Annie", I don't recall this fact ever giving rise to sniggers or embarassment. If he hasn't already done so, cbrpete's friend should ask the scout leaders to confirm the story and, if true, explain why a female had to be present. It might be related to the fact that some scout groups nowadays have females as well as males.

Many of my colleagues know that, from stuff I do outside work, I have first aid training that covers a bit more than the basic FAW (First Aid at Work) training. I'm not sure if it's a result of this or not, but I'm regularly asked for advice well outside the remit of first aid. As we have a Boots just over the road, my normal response is "I don't know, but if it were me I'd discuss that with a pharmacist".

I would generally say that if someone has a condition they're uncomfortable discussing with a first aider of the opposite gender, it isn't within the competence of an FAW first aider, and I never consider gender mix when recruiting first aiders.

As an aside - a colleague of mine is in the TA and through that organisation is a trained Battlefield First Aid Trainer. The Army told him that that qualification doesn't entitle him to be a workplace first aider in the office under the FAW requirements!