Posted By Trevor Duggan Can anybody advise on this. Supposing as a manager you want to have somebody trained up as a first aider. On request for volunteers, nobody volunteers. So you then decide to pick a person and they object that they won't do it because it is not in their contract of employement. So you decide to quote that every employee will cooperate with the employer, etc.. What can you do if the person still refuses . There is of course the risk that, those who don't want to do it, fail the test deliberately. And you end up wasting money. Also, the risk is that people should be suitable for training i.e you shouldn't train people to use MEWPS if they are scared of heights. So where do you go from here.

Posted By Martin Hartland Have you tried offering a financial incentive? A lot of companies offer a weekly/monthly/annual payment for people who take on first aid duties. If you cant find anyone you should consider selecting an “appointed person” maybe a Team Leader/Supervisor to take charge when someone gets injured or falls ill, they wont need first aid training but you’ll need have someone else as a back-up when they are away. Hope this helps you Martin Hartland

Posted By RP Wow, teachers not wanting to become first aiders. I would directly contact the union and request the written word. You should consult with the LEA and the Board of Governors who are charged with the responsibility for Health and Safety, not only under the HASAWA but also the Education Act.

Posted By Clairey O if you follow this link it gives guidance for first aid provision in schools - if i remember correctly its main emphasis is Schools normally include staff, pupils and visitors when carrying out risk assessments for first-aid needs. "The Regulations do not oblige employers to provide first aid for anyone other than their own staff, but employers do have health and safety responsibilities towards non-employees. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) guidance recommends that organisations, such as schools, which provide a service for others should include them in their risk assessments and provide for them. In the light of their legal responsibilities for those in their care, schools should consider carefully the likely risks to pupils and visitors, and make allowance for them when drawing up policies and deciding on the numbers of first-aid personnel. " http://www.firstaidcafe....uk/Reference/Schools.asp

Posted By Tracey Kelly thanks for the responses. I talked to the Union, and they didn't issue any instruction - on the contrary, they encourage their members to perform first aid on pupils when necessary. Probably Chinese whispers ... I've given the school all relevant info on risk assessments, Irish regulations, duty of care etc., plus the info from their Union. Hopefully we can make some progress now. I've a feeling that the compromise will be basic emergency first aid training for the teachers as designated persons (appointed persons in the UK).