First Aid Measures

[nearlythere]

This person believes that a RA should consider the means of providing emergeny first aid treatment to a casualty in the event of an injury from fire.

Discuss

[Midland Retty]

It's certainly not a legal requirement to consider first aid measures in a Fire Risk Assessment

Is it sensible to do so though?...well...

It maybe that The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require a general risk assessment of first aid provision is undertaken, but I seriously doubt it would go to the degree of mentioning / describing / expecting an RP to consider post fire casualty care.

Eitherway the assessment for first aid provision should be kept seperate to the fire risk assessment and if your chum really wants to consider first aid after a fire then a set procedure should be created and added to the safety policy document for the premises.

[Chris Houston]

The Fire Safety (Regulatory Reform) Fire Safety Order does not require this, but general first aid requirements are dealt with under separate Health & Safety Legislation.

[Midland Retty]

See: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg214.pdf (Guidance leaflet from HSE about First Aid at Work)

It doesn't really answer your question Nearlythere but does state if someon is injured at work they must receive first aid.

NB: By virtue of how the guidance is worded it seems that the regs are only applicable to workplaces.

[nearlythere]

A requirement of a FRA is to reduce the risk of injury and harm to persons from fire. The aim of first aid, for a burn victim, according to St John Ambulance, is to stop the burning, relieve pain and swelling and minimise the risk of infection. If first aid was not carried out there is the risk of greater injury to the person from fire than if first aid was carried out.
Yes, there is a requirement for first aid at work but I am talking specifically about first aid for injuries caused by fire.
A hazard is a physical situation with the potential for human injury...................
A risk is the likelihood that the injury will occur.
The legislation requires the RP identifies the significant findings of the RA and anyone who might be especially at risk should a fire occur. If a fire occurs and someone is injured (burned) is that person not still at risk from their injuries until taken to hospital or proper medical help arrives? As such is there not a need to treat a person who has sustained burns to reduce the chance of the injury getting more serious by infection?

[kurnal]

The fire risk assessment is required by virtue of the fire safety order.
The duties  set out in article 5 only relate to general fire precautions - as defined in article 4.

This does not include first aid or any other provision where there is a duty under other legislation. The risk assessment under the first aid at work Regs should cover the first aid issues even in an emergency situation.

[Chris Houston]

The risk of the burn getting infected is a low priority for the first aider/ambulance crew.  When someone has a burn the priority is cooling, ideally via lots of water.  That said if water isn't available any cold liquid clean or not should be used.  Infections can be sorted later through medicine.

If you phone an ambulance you can normally expect it to arrive within 8 minutes in the UK.

Chris
(British Red Cross Ambulance Crew)

[AnthonyB]

First Aid requirements in a place of work are governed by the Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 & the current ACOP requires a risk assessment to determine what you need (as oppose to the previous prescriptive scales) in terms of equipment & trained staff.

With respect to fire emergencies, unless Burns are a normal risk from the nature of your work it would be not normally be reasonably practicable to provide the emergency facilities for a fire - although after 6/6 there are strong recommendations for at risk locations to have 'disaster kits' which are first aid haversacks with contents aimed at large injuries & burns as caused by bombs.

In our fire emergency plans we include a specific section for first aiders stating that if they pass a first aid box on their way out (i.e. not going against flow or wasting time hunting for it) they should collect it and then report to wardens or coordinator after evacuation to be available for casualties

[Mike Buckley]

I agree that first aid for burns does not form part of the fire risk assessment. It does come under the First Aid regs where it recommends specialist training if there is a particular hazard and has to be assessed under those regs.

In general first aid these days is very basic, gone are the days of bondage sessions with piles of triangular bandages! Unless it is a minor injury most of the time the aim is to try to stabilise the casualty until proper medical assistance arrives.

However I did an emergency plan for a large plant where I did consider the siting of emergency triage facilities etc. along with access and rendevous points for the emergency services. Not so much from the point of view of telling the services where to go but to tell the various actors in our emergency plan where to go so the emergency services can find them.

[devon4ever]

For what its worth, it should be noted on the FRA that the ACOP for Emergency Lighting BS 5266 Part 1 does make reference to illuminating amongst the normal - change of direction, change of levels, stairs, hazards etc; fire fighting equipment and..... FIRST AID POSTS