When it comes to workplace safety, having trained first aiders can make all the difference in ensuring the wellbeing of your employees and customers. Accidents and medical emergencies can happen at any time, and having individuals trained in first aid skills can provide vital immediate assistance while waiting for professional medical help to arrive.

Our team answer some of the most popular questions about Emergency First Aid at Work

Firstly, How Many First Aiders Do You Need?

This isn’t set in stone. The number of first aiders needed in your place of work depends on the level of risk involved. We recommend conducting a risk assessment, which will identify the recommended number. Our Health & Safety team can support your business by conducting a risk assessment. You can contact them at healthandsafety@skaltd.co.uk

Do my team need any prior qualifications to do Emergency First Aid at Work?

No. One of the great advantages of the Emergency First Aid at Work course is that it has no formal entry requirements. As long as participants are physically able to participate in the practical activities, they are able to complete the course.

What will the course prepare them for?

The course contains crucial areas of emergency response. Your team will learn how to act safely and effectively in emergencies, administer Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), treat an unconscious casualty, manage wounds and bleeding, address shock and choking incidents, tend to minor injuries, utilise first aid equipment, and maintain proper record-keeping.

The aim of this training is to provide a well-rounded understanding of the emergency first aider's role and will also build up skill and confidence.

How will my team be assessed?

Practical assessment is a crucial part of the Emergency First Aid at Work course, so there is no hiding at the back of the class.  Participants will be evaluated through a combination of theory and practical activities and in a short assessment at the end of the day.

It is recommended that participants wear suitable clothing and footwear for the course to maximise engagement and performance.

How long will they be qualified for?

An Emergency First Aid at Work certificate is valid for three years. After that, you will need to sit a one-day refresher. If you have team members whose certification is due for renewal, please contact Naomi at naomi@skaltd.co.uk, and we can arrange for those team members to attend a refresher course.

What study options does Stallard Kane provide?

Emergency First Aid at Work is available as an open course, held on specific dates throughout the year, and is ideal for individuals or small groups. The next course at our Gainsborough venue is on Wednesday 12th June. If this does not suit you, we also offer courses located at a venue closer to your business.

If you are looking for a study option exclusively for your team, closed courses are available for groups. These provide a cost-effective and convenient solution for upskilling your entire staff, perfect for larger workforces. This can be delivered on your site, at a rented local venue or at our head office training venue in Gainsborough

Contact us today to discuss your business training needs.

Don't wait for an emergency to strike—take action now and be prepared to save lives. Contact our training team at training@skaltd.co.uk to discuss your booking.

If you’re a Site Manager or a Site Supervisor, let’s get the building blocks in place for a successful CITB Site Safety Training Schemes with the SMSTS and SSSTS courses!

Besides having frustratingly similar and lengthy names, the two courses we’re going to talk about are highly important for keeping up with today’s health and safety regulations.
 
Both the SMSTS (Site Managers Safety Training Scheme) and SSSTS (Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme) are accredited by the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), meaning your site managers and supervisors will come out with a qualification that will meet the required standards for their positions on site. Both courses have multiple methods of delivery, so there’s always going to be something right for you and your business.

We offer these courses via our Training Partnerships across the UK

What do these courses involve?

The key areas of the safety training schemes, and their refreshers, are designed to guide candidates into being safety conscious and efficient in their roles – while also providing them with the relevant tools and knowledge to actively make their working environments safer for everyone.

• Understanding the relevant legislation for their position
• Establishing effective communication techniques on site
• Understanding their health and safety responsibilities and how to establish a culture of health and safety on site
• Breaking down new guidance and best industry practice
• Effective site inductions, toolbox talks and method statement briefings
• Monitoring site activities effectively
• Timely intervention when bad practice is identified

SMSTS Site Managers Safety Training Scheme

For site managers, there are two options:

• Standard delivery – this is a five-day course which is done consecutively, at your choice of one of the many training venues across the country
• Day release – the same five days, but done over 5 weeks so your managers can still be there for their team, whilst getting this essential training.

Both of these options can also be done online as a virtual course so you can attend from the workplace or home.

For full course details visit our training page

SSSTS (Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme)

Supervisors have a two-day course, which is done consecutively at one of the many training venues across the country or can be done online from the workplace or home.

For full course details visit our training page

Refresher Course

All qualifications have a lifespan of 5 years and need a refresher to make sure you are working to the current Health and Safety standards. The refresher for the SSSTS is one day, and the SMSTS is 2 days and providing these are completed before your current qualification expires, you can easily keep the qualifications valid and everything running smoothly!

Much like the previously mentioned varieties of delivery, refreshers are also offered as online training.

Contact our training team directly to discuss your Refresher Training

Improve your knowledge of construction practices and build new skills

Why train with us?

Training is an essential part of sound health and safety management. This is why we provide a wide range of courses to support organisations in achieving this.

We can deliver a very wide range of training courses in a variety of ways. We can help, whatever your training requirements, including forming a training schedule or delivering bespoke courses aligned perfectly to your individual needs.

If you are interested in these or any of our other courses, please email our Training team at training@skaltd.co.uk or call the team on 01427 420 405 to discuss your requirements.

Each year the fire and rescue service attends a number of fires in commercial premises. Thankfully fires in commercial buildings are rare. However, when a fire does occur, the results can be catastrophic. 

Are you prepared if the worst should happen?

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, it is a legal requirement for the responsible person (person responsible for fire safety) within an organisation to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in undertaking preventative and protective measures to minimise the risk of fire. A Fire Warden or Fire Marshal is a competent person appointed to undertake these measures. 

Hopefully, you won’t ever face a fire emergency, but being prepared is key to a good outcome if you do. Fire Wardens play a vital role in this preparation. 

After Covid, a lot of businesses have a hybrid office setup. Now that you have different people working on your premises at different times, do you still always have a Fire Warden on site?

What is a Fire Warden?

Fire Wardens are appointed members of staff who have undergone specific training and will play a key role in fire emergency situations. In a fire emergency, Fire Wardens must keep employers and visitors safe and ensure a safe evacuation.

The role of a Fire Warden

A Fire Warden’s role can vary and will depend on the nature and size of the premises. However, these duties may include:

• Making sure everyone evacuates the building in a safe and timely manner
• Make sure the area is visually searched to ensure no one is left behind
• Monitoring fire safety through frequent visual checks of fire escape routes, fire extinguishers, housekeeping, alarms, fire doors and fire exits
• Supporting and carrying out fire evacuation drills 
• Reporting faults and unsafe practices 
• Controlling safe evacuation of their area 
• Giving fire safety briefings to ensure that everyone understands the fire procedure 

When is it safe for a Fire Warden to tackle a fire?

Fire Wardens are not expected to fight fires, their main responsibility is to assist in the safe evacuation of the occupants. However, Fire Wardens should only tackle a very small fire (smaller than the size of a waste bin) if they have been trained and are competent enough to extinguish it.

You should only tackle a fire if:

• The alarm has been raised
• Everyone has been evacuated from the area
• Fire and rescue services have been called
• You have a safe escape route, and the fire is not between you and this route
• You use the correct type of fire extinguishers for the fire type

You must leave the fire if:

• The fire starts to spread
• Your escape route becomes hindered by smoke
• The fire extinguisher has been fully discharged
• You have extinguished the fire – and you must advise the person in charge as to any additional fire safety investigation

Do not tackle a fire if:

• The room is filled with smoke, or the fire is spreading
• Other hazards are present
• The fire cannot be extinguished with one fire extinguisher
• There are not two persons present (the person tackling the fire and another Fire Warden or Fire Marshal acting as the additional eyes on the situation)

How many Fire Wardens do I need?

Your organisation should carefully consider how many Fire Wardens are needed. The number of Fire Wardens you appoint will depend on the size and complexity of the premises. Larger workplaces with multiple floors will need to appoint several Fire Wardens to cover all areas. Even with smaller organisations, there’s a case to be made for having at least two Fire Wardens to allow for absences from work. The organisation will also need to consider appointing enough Fire Wardens to cover all shifts.

Fire Warden Training 

Fire Safety training is compulsory for all organisations as failure to comply with government fire safety regulations (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005) may lead to prosecution, legal claims, loss of property and even loss of life in the event of an incident.

Our training course covers the role of a Fire Warden. It aims to provide people with a basic awareness of good fire prevention management, the different types of fire extinguishers and how to use them and give people the confidence to take the lead in an emergency to facilitate the safe and prompt evacuation of the building.

For further assistance for your business, talk to our Health and Safety Team by calling 01427 420 402 or emailing healthandsafety@skaltd.co.uk and #oneoftheteam will be happy to help.

To find out more information or discuss your training needs, talk to our Training Team by calling 01427 420 405 or email training@skaltd.co.uk

by Naomi Wells, Compliance Assistant

Working at Height remains one of the leading causes of death and injury in the workplace, so ensuring the training is up to date for all employees helps mitigate risks.

Why is it important?

Contrary to common thought, working at height isn’t just up ladders or on rooves. A workplace is ‘at height’ if a person could be injured falling from it, even if it is at or below ground level. To comply with The Work at Height Regulations 2005, training must be provided in order to prevent death & injury.

What training is involved?

We provide various training courses to ensure appropriate training and qualification for many scenarios. All our courses will teach you and your employees how to comply with your duties in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and equip you with the knowledge and skills to work safely at height:

• Working at Height Awareness – a half-day course for everyone whose role requires them to work at height.
• Harness Awareness – for anyone who uses a harness as a fall preventative
• IPAF – for anybody who uses Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS)

The risks associated with working at height can result in injury or even death, so it’s essential to ensure that employees are adequately trained and qualified to work safely. 

If you’re unsure which course is right for you or your employees, our training team is available to provide guidance and answer any questions you may have. Don’t take unnecessary risks – invest in the safety of your employees today.

To find out more information or discuss your training needs, talk to our Training Team by calling 01427 420 405 or email faye@skaltd.co.uk  or naomi@skaltd.co.uk. 

Are you looking to take your safety career to the next level? Have you considered obtaining an IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) qualification? IOSH qualification will improve your knowledge and skills in safety management and open up a wide range of career opportunities. 

Why do an IOSH course?

"Why do this course instead of another?"

IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) is the world's largest membership body for health and safety professionals. They are a globally recognised chartered body that promotes and leads the highest standards in the industry. IOSH courses give you a robust knowledge of assessing risks and creating a safe and profitable work environment. They also form a strong foundation for further education in health and safety and related fields.

Who can do it, and how?

"If there's a course for every situation, is it right for me?"

With the variety of courses under the IOSH umbrella, there's a course suitable for everyone, from specialised such as IOSH Safety, Health & Environment for Construction Workers, to enable labourers to gain their Green CSCS card to the more general IOSH Managing Safely. They have no formal entry requirements, and due to the multiple ways to take the course, it can work around you– whether it be days in the classroom, a virtual classroom or whenever you've got some spare time to do eLearning.

What courses are available?

"How can SK Training help me?"

SK Training has multiple IOSH courses available within our training network, from IOSH Leading Safely for anyone in leadership or management roles to IOSH Working Safely for workers at all levels.

Our next available open course for IOSH Managing Safely is via zoom from the 14th to the 16th of June.

To find out more information or discuss your training needs, talk to our Training Team by calling 01427 420 405 or email faye@skaltd.co.uk  or naomi@skaltd.co.uk. 

Stress can affect us both mentally and physically. If left untreated, it can even be life-threatening, which is why it is so important to be able to recognise stress and look after yourself by managing these feelings.

So, what is stress and what can cause it?

Stress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from an adverse or demanding circumstance”.

Stress is something that I am sure we’re all familiar with, it is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. In small doses, it can be useful and motivational. However, too much stress or prolonged exposure to stress can affect your wellbeing and eventually cause burnout.

Stress should never be seen as a weakness as everyone experiences stress differently, and we all have our own tolerance levels for stress. It is generally caused when we feel we don’t have the resources to handle the challenges we face. However, the thing with stress is that, generally, once the thing causing the stress is no longer a problem, the feeling of stress passes.

Stress isn’t always caused by negative events, but even positive life events can leave us feeling lost and out of control of the situation and therefore stressed.

Some examples of causes of stress are:

• financial worries
• your own illness or that of a friend or relative
• upcoming social event
• exams
• having a baby
• moving house
• relationship difficulties
• work pressures
  • Long hours
  • Heavy workload
  • Tight deadlines
  • Job insecurity
  • Insufficient skills for the job
  • Over-supervision
  • Inadequate working environment
  • Lack of proper resources
  • Few promotional opportunities
  • Harassment
  • Discrimination
  • Poor relationships with colleagues or bosses
  • Crisis incidents, such as an armed hold-up or workplace death.

How do I know I’m stressed?

Stress manifests itself differently for everyone, and the below graphic shows examples of how stress can show up. You may experience many of these symptoms or just a couple. You may not even realise you’re displaying some of these symptoms and only become aware when someone else mentions them.

What can I do about it?

If some of these symptoms sound pretty familiar to you, there are various ways to manage stress, both now and in the future. Managing stress is hard, and what works for you won’t necessarily be the same for someone else, but some good starting points are:

A healthy diet

• Giving your body the right nutrients allows it to grow and repair itself and provides you with energy to keep you active throughout the day. As tempting as it is to reach for the caffeine and sugar fixes, or even alcohol and nicotine, these are only short-term fixes and will likely make you feel worse in the long term. Also, drink some water! – it’s a given, but a hydrated body is a happy body.

Get enough sleep

• Did you know that the chemicals your brain releases during deep sleep are the same ones which tell your body to stop releasing the stress hormone? It seems pretty self-explanatory now that the better sleep you have, the less stressed you would feel.

Regular exercise

• Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller and mood enhancer, the happy hormone. Plus, exercise can also improve your sleep – see above.

Relaxation techniques

• Meditation, yoga, mindfulness and deep breathing can all help reduce stress. They make you aware of your body and your breathing, slowing it down, lowering your heart rate and, therefore, blood pressure, bringing your body back to a state of equilibrium.

Keep a journal

• Take a moment to notice your feelings, to fully understand the things that cause you stress and how you handle it.

Say no to things you don’t want to do

• Self-care isn’t selfish.

Take up a hobby

• Make time to do something YOU want to do, for example, read a book, go for a walk, do some cooking or baking, listen to music, or catch up with friends.

Talk to someone

• Probably the most important one, but the old saying, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, is absolutely true in this case. Talking to someone, a friend, family member, or colleague, just having someone to listen to you makes you feel less alone, and they might even have been through something similar and have some useful insights for you.

What if that doesn’t work?

A certain level of stress is normal. However, if none of these tips is working and you feel as though it is unmanageable, talk to your GP or another healthcare professional. They will be able to help.

How can I support my employees?

In 2020/21, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 50% of all work-related ill health cases.

Stress within your team, in general, may include increased staff turnover, decreased performance, increased sickness absence etc., so it is important to take a holistic view when looking for signs of stress. Being proactive and looking after the well-being of your team can improve performance, reduce sick days and presenteeism, improve colleague relationships and generally lead to a happier workforce.

Being able to recognise the signs of stress in your employees will allow you to act early and hopefully reduce the impact of the pressure they are feeling having a Wellbeing team within your business, made up of both mental health first aiders and wellbeing champions will enable you to provide support to your employees so that fewer people are reaching crisis point.

Mental Health First Aiders

Having Mental Health First Aiders within your business would provide an alternative outlet for your staff to express their issues to someone who may not be their direct line manager – this often puts staff at ease when discussing sensitive matters.

The 2-day course covers many mental health issues that may become apparent in the workplace. It focuses on how to deal with someone at a crisis point, how to communicate with them and then how to signpost them to local and national support agencies.

Wellbeing Champions

This 1-day course trains employees to be wellbeing advocates in the workplace. They gain the knowledge and practical tools to promote mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing whilst driving engagement.

To find out more information or discuss your training needs, talk to our Training Team by calling 01427 420 405 or email faye@skaltd.co.uk  or naomi@skaltd.co.uk.