Rank: Forum user 
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Hi All What standard of fitness should be expected to be a first aider at work? This question is asked by providers at the time of booking a coursee, but "fitness" is quite a subjective thing. I would appreciate it is anyone has a methodology of determining physical (and mental I suppose) fitness standards
Regards
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Rank: Super forum user 
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…and of course if you pay your first aiders and deny someone the opportunity to work as one, because of “fitness issues” you could find your being accused of discrimination.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Given that first aid training will involve some lifting, a small amount of physical exercise (CPR) and being able to get to and from the floor for demonstrations, I would suggest that as long as they are not suffering from any underlying conditins that would be exacerbated by this training they are good to go.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Perfectly understand this question from your training provider. I have lost count of how many times I have been delivering First Aid courses only for attendees to tell me that they cannot get down onto the floor to practice CPR on the resu-anne because of bad knees or backs, and would not be able to perform this in an emergency (obviously these people do not successfully pass the course and we then get complaints from customers).
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Rank: Super forum user 
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My previous employer provides First Aid at events, and this was a very live issue for them as some volunteers had difficulty getting down to floor level and back up again. As O'Donnell says, that's a basic fitness requirement,
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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I have always tried to put together a halfway house between what is required for a full ERT member and what an organisation actually requires...which falls down (excuse the pun) to what the risks they are likely to face...for example I may have a Chemical emergemcy response clean up team on a high hazard site who may need to meet the fire fitness stadard or similar...the last thing you want is your first aider having a heart attack en route to a heart attack... it has happened...
Below is the Energy Institite guidance (extract - full doc availablewhen logged in) which I use along with the medical guidance to assess at what standard they need to be...if they can't kneel down or get out of breath walking 100m, with the full kit on level ground...I would be asking questions...
https://publishing.energyinst.org/__data/assets/file/0019/7714/Pages-from-Fitness-standards-Oct-2010.pdf
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Rank: Super forum user
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For our predominantly office based / low risk operation we ask that they must be able to complete a cycle of CPR without being assisted to or from ground level. If they cannot do that then they don't get a place on a course.
I gather NUCO have just issued guidance to trainers along similar lines,
Yes, despite being short of volunteers at the time I have turned people down on grounds of fitness . In one instance they could not manage a short flight of stairs without a breather , another was waiting for a hip replacement about the same time as the course- suggested they came back in 6 months time. Enthusiam is great, but my employer does offer quite good renumeration for what is not a very demanding role.
( OK I have probaaly jinxed us now!)
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