The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have recently updated their guidance in relation to first aid and mental health. This post aims to update you on the changes and explain what it means for you.
Overview
You may be aware that the first aid regulations and associated HSE guidance creates the legal and practical framework for how employers should manage first aid in the workplace. If you're not familiar with it, you can read our post about your responsibilities under the regulations to find out more.
The latest update (early 2024) to the third edition of the HSE guidance includes amendments that:
emphasise employers’ responsibilities to take account of employees’ mental health in their first-aid needs assessment
change the term ‘catastrophic bleeding’ to ‘life-threatening bleeding’ with more guidance on what employers should do if they identify this as a risk in their workplace
Mental Health
The HSE have long had a focus on stress in the workplace. However, over the last few years this has broadened to include mental health more generally, particularly since the pandemic, for obvious reasons. The latest step in this direction is to include mental health in the first aid guidance.
The Changes
Let's look at the changes in detail, laying out what they say, and what you may need to do as a result.
When undertaking your first aid needs assessment, they say:
6. It may also be helpful to have people trained to identify and understand mental ill health symptoms who are able to support someone who is experiencing a mental health issue. You may decide that someone with an FAW or EFAW qualification is already able to provide initial support and reassurance to a worker experiencing an acute mental health episode, but you should consider if any further training is required. You should be satisfied that they:
- know how to access professional help if necessary;
- can act promptly, safely and effectively until that help is available.
8. How much first-aid provision an employer has to make depends on the hazards and risks of each workplace. These can be both:
- physical;
- related to mental health.
They have also updated the first aid needs assessment checklist to include the following questions:
Are there inexperienced workers on site, or employees who are disabled or have particular physical or mental health problems?
What is your record of accidents and physical or mental ill health?
They also state that you should include mental health when you are considering the nature of your workforce:
17. The particular needs of young workers, trainees, pregnant workers and employees with disabilities or particular health problems, where known (eg asthma, diabetes, peanut allergy, epilepsy, mental ill health or a history of heart disease), should be addressed (noting other relevant legislation accordingly).
Finally, HSE say that if you decide to provide mental health support, you should make your employees aware of who provides it, what level of support is available and how it can be accessed.
Meeting the Requirements
The first thing to say is that you might already be doing this. In our experience, physical first aid provision is often managed by the Health and Safety representative or department, whilst mental health is often managed by the HR function. If you don't already know, it might be worth checking what, if anything, is currently in place.
The next thing to say is that having reviewed your first aid needs assessment in light of mental health, you might decide you don't need to do anything differently. Great!
However, you may decide that you need to do more in terms of your mental health provision to stay within the guidance. If this is the case, we have a couple of options that can help, depending on the level of support you need.
First Aid Training Bolt-on
If you don't need much support, we can simply add a mental health overview to your usual first aid training. All our first aid courses now have the option to include a short session on the recognition and management of mental health problems. Just let us know you'd like to add it when you book.
Mental Health Courses
If you feel you need more support, we have a range of courses dedicated to mental health first aid. As with all of our training, we'll tailor it to your needs, so it can be as long or as short as you need. If you're not sure what you need, please just get in touch and we'll help you decide - we've been delivering mental health first aid ever since it became a thing!
Life-Threatening Bleeding
The main change here is that what used to be referred to as 'catastrophic bleeding' is now called 'life-threatening bleeding'. It is hoped that this change gives lay people more clarity about what is meant by the term.
The guidance highlights sectors where life-threatening bleeding should be considered, including agriculture, forestry, construction, remote working, and events that may be at risk of terrorism or other violent incidents. However, we would recommend that this may also include grounds staff working with chainsaws and other power tools, as well as those working in heavy industry.
If you've identified life-threatening bleeding as a risk to your employees, we can help. We can either include it as part of your next first aid course(s) at no extra cost, or we can run a standalone session just for particular members of staff, including your first aiders or those who are exposed to the risk. Just get in touch and let us know what you need.
Of course, you'll also need the right equipment, such as trauma dressings, haemostatic bandages and tourniquets. As clinicians with a background in hostile environment medical care, we're happy to advise you on that too!
Summary
In summary, the HSE's latest 'minor amendments' to the first aid guidance may require you to review your first aid needs assessment in respect of mental health and life-threatening bleeding. If you do, you may then need to ensure your first aiders are competent and have the right equipment to deal with it.
If you have any questions or would like any advice about the contents of this post (or anything else to do with first aid, please just get in touch, we're always happy to help!
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