First Aid Training - Where?

So you need to organise First Aid at Work training for your employees.  Where is the training going to be carried out? There are three basic choices:

1. Your own premises
2. Rented rooms, e.g. rooms available at your local leisure centre
3. The training provider's premises

The HSE lays down requirements rooms used for training HSE approved courses:

• Room size - Adequate space for all students on the course to undertake theory and practical work
• Toilets - Separate facilities for male and female students
• Ventilation - Should be adequate
• Lighting - Should be suitable for reading
• Heating - Maintain a 'shirt sleeve' environment
• Access/exits - Should be safe, well-lit and cater for people with special needs
• Floor coverings - Should be carpeted or mats/blankets provided for use during practical sessions
• Cleanliness - Maintain a clean, tidy and hygienic environment
• Noise Consideration - Whether there is any noise that may distract students from training

For courses requiring formal assessment of practical first aid skills, e.g. First Aid at Work, a separate area should be available, either to carry out the assessment, or for the candidates to relax in if the assessments are carried out in the room used for training.

Basic equipment must include:

• Seats - one for each student
• Writing surfaces - desk, table or similar, and again, adequate for the number of students
• Additional resources that must be provided - but will normally be provided by the training provider:
• Learning materials - Current reference books, flip charts etc. should be available and appropriate to the lesson plan and aims, objectives and outcomes
• CPR manikins - One manikin to every four students
• Dressings/bandages - Sufficient for the number of students.