Level 2 First Aid takes an emergency response to the next level. Instead of simply responding to an emergency, employees will be able to identify, plan and act with skill and in keeping with emergency protocol required by law.
Once First Aid level 1 has been completed, learners are eligible to complete First Aid level 2. Any person who participated in this First Aid training course, can render safe and effective first aid in a medical, injury or environmental emergency. Unpleasant as it might be, the fact remains that accidents happen. Even experiencing it as a bystander, an accident is not a pleasant scene. Not knowing what to do or being able to help, can be even worse. If an accident happens in the workplace, we don’t need helpless witnesses. Having basic First Aid Level 1 is by law a requirement for a first aider and having First Aid Level 2 training is even better.
First Aid Level 2 can provide more advanced medical treatment until professional assistance arrives. The importance of First Aid is hard to overestimate. First Aid training for your staff and the company can mean the difference between life and death.
Knowing how to stop bleeding and conduct CPR are essential emergency skills that all Level 1 First Aid courses cover. But what if someone has a seizure at the workplace or has multiple injuries or needs to be moved while injured? Medical assistance comes with complications and implications, both personal and legal. Expecting the unexpected and responding correctly, according to emergency protocol, is what Level 2 First Aid training offers your employees and company. Not only are employees better equipped to deal with a wider range of emergency situations at a more advanced level, but their skills will also include addressing common environmental hazards and ensuring legal compliance when attending to emergencie
What does the law say about First Aid?
The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act requires that:
- Employers must appoint a First Aider, where more than 10 employees are employed.
- Where there are more than 50 persons employed, a First Aider must be appointed for each group of 50 persons or part thereof.
- Sub-regulation (4) requires the First Aider to be readily available during working hours. This means that all companies will need more than one First Aider to be trained to ensure they are covered at all times, including when someone is on sick leave or working a different shift.
Benefits of Level 2 First Aid Training
- Level 2 First Aid covers additional first aid modules, as required by the Department of Labour.
- Helps employees work logically, efficiently and effectively to assess and manage an emergency by using a systematic approach to first aid.
- Addresses environmental emergencies like heat cramps, exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia and frostbite.
- Offers more advanced skills to empower employees to respond to seizures, asthma attacks, strokes, soft tissue injury management, diabetes, etc.
- Qualifies employees to attend First Aid Level 3 Training, taking them one step closer to attaining their DOL First Aid Certificate.
- Reputable courses are approved by the Department of Labour and offer OHS Act General Safety Regulation 3 (4) (d) compliance, valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
A typical Level 2 First Aid will cover:
- Level 1 First Aid revision
- Medical emergencies
- Epilepsy and seizures
- Environmental emergencies
- Poisoning, bites and stings
- Management of soft tissue injuries
- Foreign object management
- Elementary, applied anatomy and physiology
- Practical demonstrations and participation by each learner in the practical exercises
- Training by Emergency Medical Care professionals, with first-hand experience of emergency situations
How do I know if a Level 2 First Aid course is reputable?
- The course must offer certification, which should be accredited and recognised by various statutory bodies, including:
- The Health and Welfare Sectional Educational Training Authority (HWSETA)
- Resuscitation Council of South Africa (RCSA)
- Department of Labour (DOL)
- American Emergency Care and Safety Institute (ECSI).
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Absolute Health Services (AHS) offer accredited Health and Safety (H&S) training, ensuring that our clients receive current, professional and quality training. All our training instructors are paramedics registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, and have extensive practical operational experience and have specialised in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Firefighting and H&S training. Our training courses contain the latest theoretical course content and extensive practical content and scenario training, thereby ensuring both theoretical and practical exposure. Our intention is to establish a national Health and Safety training network and footprint, enabling our clients to access our training network anywhere in the country. We know that without the support of our clients our business would not exist, so we are committed to offering a professional, client-focussed, high quality and cost-effective service.
