First Aid At Work Annual Refresher

First Aid At Work Refresher Course

This short First Aid at Work Refresher course is for businesses with employees who have completed either the 3-day First Aid at Work Training – Level 3 Award or the Emergency First Aid at Work – Level 2 Award.

By UK law, first aid training needs to be refreshed to ensure that you or your team are up-to-date with the latest changes in the industry.

A first aid refresher course is a short training session that reviews key skills and updates procedures for people who are already certified in emergency first aid.

It is recommended to take the refresher class every 3 years to keep your knowledge current. New medical research and products can change the way we provide emergency care, and refreshing your skills ensures you have the most up-to-date knowledge.

Reviewing the important aspects of first aid helps participants become prepared volunteers, ready to spot emergencies and respond correctly until paramedics arrive.

By following the best steps, you can make sure that people receive the fastest and safest care during the critical first few minutes of an emergency!

📌Related: First Aid Requalification Training.

Course Information:

• Course Duration: 3 Hours
• Course Level: Level 2
• Certificate: 1-year certificate
• Max Delegates: 12
• Practical: Yes
• Course Mode: Face to Face
• Location: Onsite and Offsite Training

In the Half-day first aid refresher course, participants cover recaps like:

• Main responsibilities of a first aid helper
• How to quickly assess an emergency
• Updated CPR steps
• Stopping bleeding fast
• Helping people having seizures, burns or other common crises
• Using devices called AEDs that can shock hearts back to beating
• Moving a sick or injured person safely
• Rules on reporting emergencies and documenting what you did to help

First Aid Refresher Course Content:

First Aid Refresher Course Outline

1. How to Act Safely and Effectively in an Emergency

   • Stay calm and focused
   • Look at the situation and decide what to do
   • Call for help or emergency services
   • Keep yourself and others safe

2. Dealing with an Unconscious Casualty

   • Check if the person is awake
   • Open their airway to help them breathe
   • Place them in the recovery position
   • Keep checking if they are breathing

3. Doing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

   • Know when CPR is needed
   • Give chest compressions
   • Give rescue breaths
   • Use a defibrillator (AED) if needed

4. Dealing with a Casualty Suffering from Shock

   • Spot the signs of shock
   • Help the person lie down and keep warm
   • Keep them calm and monitor their condition
   • Call for help right away

5. Dealing with a Casualty Who Is Wounded and Bleeding

   • Identify the type of bleeding
   • Apply pressure to stop the bleeding
   • Use bandages and dressings
   • Prevent infection and keep the wound clean

This course will help refresh your first aid skills so you can confidently help in an emergency.

Learning Outcome:

After completing the first aid annual update, participants should be able to:

• Act safely and effectively during emergencies.
• Handle unconscious casualties with confidence.
• Give CPR proficiently in cardiac arrest situations.
• Manage shock and wounded people very well.
• Adapt to new situation and stay updated with guidelines.
• Prioritise actions and respond very fast.
• Promote a safety-conscious culture.
• Retain and reinforce essential first aid skills.

These outcomes ensure a safer workplace and preparedness for medical emergencies.

📌Related: Emergency First Aid at Work Training.

Who Should Attend a First Aid at Work Refresher Course?

Course Benefits

Benefits of first aid refresher training:

1. Updated Knowledge: You learn the most current first aid techniques, making sure you know what to do in emergencies.
2. Increased Confidence: You feel more sure of yourself and ready to help when something happens.
3. Faster Response: You can act quickly and correctly in an emergency because you’ve practiced the important skills.
4. Workplace Safety: Many workplaces require workers to be certified in first aid. This training helps you stay certified.
5. Better at Handling Emergencies: You’ll know how to help in situations like heart attacks, strokes, or when someone is injured.
6. Helps Save Lives: Knowing first aid can help you prevent harm and even save lives in emergencies.
7. Helps Your Team: When you’re trained, your whole team feels safer, knowing they have someone who can help in an emergency.
8. Legal Protection: Being certified means you’re ready to help, and it can protect you legally if something happens.
9. Hands-On Practice: You get to practice your skills in real situations so you feel ready when it counts.
10. Less Injuries: The training can help prevent accidents and make your workplace safer.

Top Questions and Answers

1. What is First Aid At Work  (FAAW) Training?

First aid at work training is a specialized program that teaches people how to provide immediate assistance to injured or ill colleagues.

The training equips individuals with essential skills for handling medical emergencies until professional help arrives.

The training emphasizes staying calm and acting swiftly during emergencies, along with understanding legal responsibilities in providing first aid at work.

It creates a safer workplace, empowering employees to respond effectively during accidents, saving lives, and reducing injury impact.

2. Why is the First Aid Refresher Course Important?

First aid at work refresher training is vital for:

• Maintaining competence
• Boosting confidence
• Adapting to new scenarios to minimise emergencies at work place.
• Addressing knowledge gaps
• Ensuring swift response times to situations at the workplace
• Promoting a safety culture, especially in the workplace.

To read more about the importance of first aid training, please visit this link.

3. What is the refresher period for first aid at work?

The recommended time to redo your First Aid at Work certification is every 3 years.

Here’s what that means:

• When you first get certified in First Aid at Work, it lasts for 3 years from when you finish the course.
• To stay qualified as a certified workplace first aider, you need to do a 1-day refresher course before your certification runs out.
• These refresher courses are shorter because they build on what you already know from your first course, instead of teaching everything again.
• Refreshing your skills every 3 years helps you learn any new ways of doing things and keeps you up to date with the latest guidelines.

Once you finish the refresher training, your certification is good for another 3 years.

So, in short – you have 3 years between your first course and needing to do the refresher, and then your recertification lasts for another 3 years. This way, first aiders can keep their official qualifications and meet workplace health and safety rules.

4. Why do first aid certificates expire?

Here are the main reasons why first aid certificates have expiry dates requiring periodic renewal:

• First aid rules change based on new medical info and research. Without updating training, what you know might get old. Renewing makes sure responders know the latest stuff.
• You might forget how to do first aid if you don’t use it often. Renewal training helps refresh skills and review what’s important, especially for real emergencies.
• Renewal courses share updates on risks, tools, and reporting rules, tailored for different workplaces or communities. Staying educated helps keep responses smart and safe.
• Organizations need to show they take care seriously by having qualified first aiders. Keeping proper qualifications means following rules and checking them regularly.
• Expiry dates make sure everyone stays on top of their emergency skills, which is crucial for public safety. Being skilled, informed, and ready to help is super important.

5. Can I administer first aid if my certificate has expired?

While core skills like CPR, airway management, and bleeding control mostly stick around for a long time, there might be new rules that change how we respond to emergencies. So, try your best to remember what you learned in training when you need to help, but be ready to listen to any new advice from experts if your qualification has expired.

Also, if your certificate has expired, you can’t officially be the designated first aider at work anymore. Employers need to make sure someone with a valid certificate takes over those duties to follow health and safety rules. Following the rules protects everyone.

But most importantly, when dealing with emergencies where lives are at risk and you need to act fast, it’s all about doing your best to help, even if your paperwork isn’t up to date. Saving lives is more important than having the right paperwork in urgent situations.

6. Can you do a first aid refresher online?

Yes, you can do first aid refresher training online, especially for the parts that cover theory.

But there are differences between doing it online and in a classroom:

• Online training is good for learning the latest rules, what your duties are, and how to report incidents. It’s handy if you’re busy.
• But for the practical parts, like showing you can do CPR or bandage wounds, you usually need to do that in person.
• You might watch videos online first, but then you have to show someone in real life that you can do it right. Some online courses let you upload videos to prove you can do things properly. But this way might not be as good as doing it in person, where someone can watch you closely and give you advice.

So, while online training is good for learning and checking what you know, it’s best to also do some in-person training to be sure you’re fully prepared.

And remember, in some jobs, you might need to do extra training that’s approved by the law, especially if it’s for being a workplace first aider.

In short – yes, online training is useful for learning the theory and checking your skills, but it’s important to follow the rules and maybe do some extra training in person to be completely sure you’re ready for your role or any emergencies you might face.

A mix of online and in-person training is usually the best way to go.

7. Can You Fail Your First Aid Refresher Class?

Yes, you can. In a first aid refresher lesson, you might not pass if your scores in the skills tests or written exams are much lower than what’s needed to pass.

During the practical exercises, where you act out emergency situations, the instructors watch closely. They want to make sure you follow all the right steps in the correct order without missing anything important. They might also ask you questions to check if you remember things like how to assess a situation or call for help.

If you’re not doing well and show that you’re not able to do the skills you learned before, or if you struggle with the important steps when you’re under pressure, the instructors will give you feedback on what you need to work on. You might need some extra training to get better at those things.

In some rare cases, if you’re not meeting the standards for first aid skills, you might have to retake the whole course before you can get certified again. But usually, if you’re just a bit below the standard, you’ll get some extra training and then be retested later.

These checks are important because they make sure everyone who gets certified knows what they’re doing and can help in an emergency. It’s all about keeping people safe and making sure first aid skills are up to scratch.

8. What happens in a first aid refresher course?

In a refresher class, you go over the important aspects you learned before in your first aid class, but in a quicker way. The teacher checks to make sure everyone remembers everything well.

First, the teacher talks about any recent changes in how to help in emergencies. They cover important things like:

• making sure the area is safe before helping someone,
• checking vital signs, helping someone breathe properly,
• using AED machines, and
• giving first aid for serious bleeding or broken bones.

If anyone has questions, they can ask to make sure they understand everything.

Then, you work in small groups and take turns practicing what you learned. The teacher gives tips to help anyone who’s struggling. You might practice things like CPR, cleaning eyes, or putting on a sling for an injured arm.

Finally, you do some role-playing where you act out helping someone in an emergency all by yourself. You have to assess the person, call for help if needed, and give them the right care until more help arrives. The teacher checks to make sure you’re doing everything right, and if you are, you’ll get your certificate renewed.

9. Do all staff need to be first aid retrained?

No, not everyone has to do first aid training again after they’re first certified. It depends on a few things like where you work, what you do, and what the law says in your area.

Here are some things to think about:

• Some jobs, like being a designated first aider or working in risky places, might need you to get certified again every 2-3 years.
• But if you’re not responsible for giving first aid as part of your job, your boss might just suggest you do a quick refresher to keep you up to date.
• Companies need to make sure they have enough trained people around to help if something happens, based on how many workers they have and where they work.
• Deciding how much training to do again depends on things like how much money a company has and what’s necessary for keeping everyone safe.
• Basically, it’s about balancing what the law says, how many trained people are needed, and what’s practical for the company. Most of the time, only certain people need to do lots of training again, not everyone. Being aware and able to help when needed is what’s most important.

10. What is a First Aid at Work refresher course?

A first aid refresher course is for people who did a full first aid course before. It updates their skills and knowledge in giving first aid.

They learn things like CPR, treating wounds, and helping someone who’s choking until paramedics come.

This keeps them skilled and sure in giving first aid, following new rules, and keeping their certification valid.