Health and Safety Training Urged for New Year

Wiltshire based businesses have been urged by St John Ambulance to increase their efforts for health and safety training in the New Year. The charity revealed that New Year’s resolutions concerning safety at work should be paramount for businesses, safeguarding their employees against accidents in 2012.

Revealing new data, St John Ambulance said that 53 per cent of individuals believe that first aid is best learned at work. It is here that many people spend the majority of their waking day, with accidents more likely if adequate health and safety procedures have not been put into practice. The Health and Safety Executive said that during 2009 and 2010, 2,207 major employee injuries occurred in the workplace, with 17 fatalities occurring. It is therefore essential, and a legal requirement, to comply with health and safety regulations.

St John Ambulance trainer, Christian Hughes, revealed, “Many employers put health and safety and first aid training at the top of their agenda but some leave it to chance. As Christmas and New Year can be a quiet time maybe it is time for businesses to review and plan their training agenda for 2012.”

In Wiltshire, the charity has four centres, with businesses able to learn first aid at Devizes, Chippenham, Swindon, and Salisbury. A range of courses is available including Paediatric First Aid, Emergency First Aid At Work and an Annual Refresher. For those companies going into the New Year wanting to safeguard the company and their employees, health and safety training is vital.