3.4 Accidents, First Aid, Emergency Procedures & Reporting

3.4 Accidents, First Aid, Emergency Procedures & Reporting

Unit 201 learning outcome 2 (6 of the 25 test questions) covers what to do when things go wrong: accidents that injure people, emergencies such as fire, who to report to, and what to do when a situation is beyond your level of responsibility. Learning outcome 3 adds the first-aid facilities that must be available and why they must not be misused.

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What to Do After an Accident

1. Make the area safe without putting yourself at risk: isolate the electricity, stop machinery and keep other people away.
2. Get help: shout for help and call the site first-aider.
3. Give first aid only within your training; the trained first-aider takes over when they arrive.
4. Call the emergency services on 999 or 112 for any serious injury.
5. Report the accident to your supervisor and record it in the accident book.
6. Preserve the scene for the investigation, and make sure any RIDDOR report is made (Section 2.2).

Information the emergency services need

• your name and the number you are calling from;
• the exact location: site address and postcode, which entrance to use, and a landmark;
• what has happened (fall, electric shock, burn, collapse) and how many casualties there are;
• each casualty's condition: conscious or not, breathing or not, bleeding;
• any hazards on site, such as live equipment, fire, chemicals or work at height;
• who will meet the crew and guide them to the casualty.

Electric shock and electrical burns

Section 3.2 covers the full rescue procedure. In summary: never touch a casualty who is still in contact with the supply; isolate first; call 999 or 112; start CPR (30 compressions to 2 breaths) if they are not breathing normally and use an AED as soon as one arrives. Cool burns under cool running water for at least 20 minutes and cover them loosely with cling film or a sterile dressing. Electrical burns are often much deeper than they look, and a shock can disturb the heart's rhythm, so anyone who has had a significant electric shock should be assessed in hospital even if they seem fine.

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Emergency Situations

Emergencies on site include fire, gas leaks, flooding, structural collapse, chemical spills and bomb threats. The Unit 201 range lists the procedures you must know: summoning the emergency services, the information they need, alarm and evacuation procedures, designated escape routes, firefighting procedures, first aid and the RIDDOR reporting procedure.

Alarm and evacuation

• Raise the alarm using the nearest call point, by shouting "Fire!", or with the site's agreed alarm.
• Leave by the nearest designated escape route. Do not use lifts, and close doors behind you to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
• Go straight to the assembly point without stopping to collect belongings.
• Report to the person taking the roll call (for example the fire marshal), using the signing-in book so that nobody is missed.
• Do not go back in until the fire service or site management says it is safe.
• Tackle a fire only if you are trained, the fire is small, you have the right extinguisher (Section 3.3) and your escape route is clear behind you.

Gas leaks

If you smell gas: do not operate any electrical switches (on or off), because a spark could ignite the gas; put out naked flames and do not smoke; open doors and windows; turn off the supply at the emergency control valve if it is safe to do so; get everyone out; and call the National Gas Emergency number, 0800 111 999.

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First-Aid Facilities

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and people, based on an assessment of their first-aid needs (the number of workers, the hazards and how remote the site is). This normally includes:

• a suitably stocked first-aid kit with items such as sterile dressings, plasters, bandages, eye pads, triangular bandages, disposable gloves and cleansing wipes, but no tablets or medicines;
• an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements and, where the risks require it, trained first-aiders (construction sites normally need trained first-aiders);
• information telling employees where the kit is and who the first-aiders are;
• extra facilities where the risks justify them, such as eyewash stations, burns kits, a first-aid room on large sites, or an AED.

Why first-aid supplies must not be misused

• An item taken for a minor use may be missing when someone has a serious injury.
• Using equipment wrongly can make an injury worse or spread infection.
• Interfering with or misusing anything provided for health and safety is an offence under section 8 of HASAWA.
• Used items must be replaced promptly, and the kit checked regularly, so that it is always complete.

Reporting: Who Are the Responsible Persons?

The Unit 201 range lists the people to whom health, safety and welfare matters are reported:

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When a Situation Exceeds Your Responsibility

Examples include suspected asbestos, a smell of gas, structural damage, an unsafe scaffold, a colleague working live against the rules, or an injury beyond your first-aid training. The correct actions are:

1. Stop work.
2. Make the situation safe if you can do so without risk: barrier it off, warn others, and isolate if that is within your authority.
3. Report it immediately to your supervisor or the responsible person.
4. Do not try to deal with it yourself: do not remove asbestos, repair a gas leak or alter a scaffold.
5. Record what happened as your company requires.