INTRODUCTION

First aid is the emergency care of injured or sick persons. It aims to:

• Preserve life
• Promote recovery
• Prevent the injury or illness becoming worse.

St Augustine's School is required by the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1995 to have first aid equipment or facilities readily available for use. St Augustine's School has a moral obligation to provide effective emergency management to injured or ill employees, students and others, such as volunteers. In the school setting, first aid is not necessarily restricted to one-off treatments following and accident or injury. It may also include follow-up care of minor matters which do not normally require medical care (eg. scratches, cuts, burns and splinters).

DEFINITIONS

First aid means the provision of first aid facilities, services and personnel required for the initial treatment of persons suffering injury or illness at a workplace.

First aid facilities means first aid kits, first aid room or area and first aid equipment.

First aid personnel means:

All members of the St Augustine's School staff. All staff are required to hold a current Senior First Aid qualification. A first aid personnel register containing the names of all first aid personnel, the title of their first aid qualification and the date of expiry of the qualification is kept at the school.

REGULATIONS

At St Augustine's School we acknowledge the following regulations as they pertain to First Aid and update and act on them as necessary.

• Regular assessment of First Aid requirements and personnel;
• Access to first aid facilities for visitors and all employees;
• Maintenance of first aid kits including kits for sporting and educational excursions and events;
• The requirements regarding incident recording and investigation are maintained and adhered to;
• Maintain, update and display prominently in the school the students medical registers;
• Invite consultants from the various health fields (eg Diabetes Health Advisor) to provide current inservicing for all staff on treatments specific to their area of expertise;

PROCEDURES and Responsibilities of first aid personnel

• Injured or sick children report to Sick Bay (if possible). Where serious accidents have occurred, the teacher on duty should remain with the child and have a message sent directly to the front office.
• The first aid personnel on duty undertake the initial management of sick or injured persons to a level consistent with their training and competence.
• When the first aid requirements are beyond the level of training of the school personnel, the Principal is notified and the parents are contacted, or medical assistance sought.
• The sick or injured child must be supervised at all times until first aid is no longer required, or the Injured/ sick person is taken into the care of parents/ legal guardians or medical personnel.
• At all times during treatment, infection control procedures need to be adhered to eg gloves to be worn, isolate children if required.
• All first aid treatment must be recorded as per Workplace Health and Safety and Catholic Church Insurances guidelines
• Report any hazard or dangerous incident to the school Workplace Health and Safety Committee
• First Aid personnel must respect the confidential nature of any information provided during the course of treatment.

FIRST AID FACILITIES

Number of first aid kits required

The school has six first aid kits on the premises, one is always kept in the first aid area. The other five are portable first aid kits, which are kept for excursions.

Contents of first aid kits

The contents of first aid kits should be appropriate for the types of injuries likely to occur in the school or non-school workplace. The suggested contents for the first aid kit at a school and non-school workplace are listed in Appendix 2.

Suggested additional contents of a first aid kit for remote excursion destinations are listed in Appendix 3.

A nominated School Officer ensures that:

• contents are kept within the "use-by" dates;
• contents are replenished promptly;
• student medication is kept in a secure place and not in the first aid kit; and
• the contents of first aid kits are used only for administering first aid.

A list of contact telephone numbers for the nearest ambulance service, the Poisons Information Centre, local medical practitioner and nearest hospital are kept with the first aid kit.

A checklist to assess the appropriateness of our first aid kits is found in Appendix 4.

First aid room or area

The school has a designated area for a sick bay, and for a first aid room. It is clearly identified as a first aid room and is not to be used for any other purpose.

Contents and equipment in first aid room or area

Suggested contents for first aid rooms and areas are listed in Appendix 5.

Providing first aid information to staff and students

At the commencement of each school year, the Principal will instruct all employees, volunteers and students in the procedures to be followed when first aid is required.

At other appropriate times during the year, information pertaining to first aid will be distributed through other avenues of communication including lessons, newsletters, notice boards and school handbooks.

Disposing of first aid waste

The principal arranges for the daily safe disposal of waste from the sick bay and first aid room.

Gloves must be worn when handling waste that has been contaminated with body substances (eg. bandages, bloodstained items). All waste that has been contaminated with body substances should be considered a potential source of infection. Contaminated waste should be placed in a plastic bag that is clearly identified as BIO-HAZARD and disposed of in the general waste.

FIRST AID CONSENT FOR EXCURSIONS AND CAMPS

Each year parents are asked to complete and sign consent forms that contain the following statement: "In the event of illness or injury to my child and I can not be contacted, I agree that the school may proceed to obtain adequate medical treatment for my child, and that all expenses for such shall be my responsibility."

APPENDIX 2

Suggested Contents of a School First Aid Kit

Preference is for all items to be disposable where possible.

The bracketed numbers are for guidance only and do not represent minimum requirements. The actual quantity of particular items and contents of the kit should be determined by the assessment described in Section 3.1.

CONTENTS	USE/FUNCTION/COMMENTS
adhesive strips (assorted sizes)	minor wound dressing
non-allergic adhesive tape (eg. 2.5cm x 1m packets)	secure dressings, strapping
eye pads	emergency eye cover
triangular bandages	slings, support, padding
hospital crepe or conforming bandage(various sizes eg. 2.5cm - 10cm)	retain dressings
wound/combine dressings (assorted sizes)	bleeding control/cover wound
non-adhesive dressings (assorted sizes)	wound dressing
safety pins (eg. packet of 10)	secure bandage, slings
scissors (eg. stainless steel sharp/blunt type - 12.5cm)	cutting dressings, clothing
kidney dish	hold dressings, instruments (where reusable, clean and disinfect after use)
small dressings bowl	holds liquids eg. antiseptic solutions (where reusable, clean and disinfect after use)
gauze squares (eg. 2 packets)	wound cleaning
forceps/tweezers (preferably disposable splinter type - 12.5cm)	remove foreign bodies eg. splinters (where reusable, clean and disinfect after use)
disposable latex gloves (eg. box of 10)	infection control
sterile/saline water (single use ampules - 30ml)	emergency eye wash  irrigating eye wounds (once opened contents must be discarded)
resuscitation mask	to be used by qualified personnel for resuscitation purposes
antiseptic solution (eg. 30ml)	pre-measured containers with expiry dates
plastic bags (eg 12 medium size)	waste disposal
First Aid Manual	emergency reference manual

APPENDIX 3

Suggested Additional Contents of a First Aid Kit for Excursions to a Remote Location

Type of hazards	Additional contents	Comments
Distance from medical assistance	Heavy smooth crepe roller bandages (10cm)	For snakebites (sufficient number for bandaging lower limbs)
	Splint	For snakebites and fractures (to immobilise limb)
	Large burns sheet	For covering burn areas
	Thermal/emergency blanket	For treatment of shock
	Cold water supply and clean sheeting	For cooling and dressing of burns
	Torch/flashlight	For use at night, attracting attention
	Note pad and pencil	For recording the injured or ill person's condition, and treatment given.

APPENDIX 4

Checklist for First Aid Kits

The purpose of this checklist is to check the appropriateness of first aid kits. Indicate by circling either "Yes / No". Where the answer to the question is "No", further action may be necessary to address the deficiency.

			Comments (if any)
1.	Location and Position
a.	Is the first aid kit located in a prominent and accessible position?	Yes / No
b.	Are workers informed and aware of the location of first aid kits?	Yes / No
c.	Do all workers have access to first aid kits during all work times.	Yes / No
2.	Clearly Identifiable
a.	Can the first aid kit be clearly identified as a first aid kit?	Yes / No
b.	Is the first aid kit clearly marked with a white cross on a green background?	Yes / No
3.	Contents
a.	Are the contents appropriate to the injuries and illnesses at the workplace?	Yes / No
b.	Does the first aid kit contain sufficient quantities of each item?	Yes / No
c.	Is a staff member, trained in first aid, responsible for maintaining the first aid kit?	Yes / No
d.	Are the contents appropriately labelled?	Yes / No
e.	Are the contents within their useby dates?	Yes / No
f.	Are the contents adequately stored?	Yes / No
4.	Relevant Information
a.	Is there a list of contents provided in the kit?	Yes / No
b.	Are emergency contact telephone numbers clearly displayed?	Yes / No
c.	Are the extension numbers, names and locations of the nearest first aid personnel clearly indicated?	Yes / No
5.	Training
a.	Have selected staff members received training or instruction in the use and maintenance of first aid kits?	Yes / No

APPENDIX 5

Suggested Contents of a First Aid Room or Area.

CONTENTS	USE/FUNCTION/COMMENTS
bed or couch	pillow and blankets and fresh set
suitable seating
first aid manual	reference purposes
moveable screen or suspended curtain	privacy needs
first aid kit
dust proof storage cupboards	for storage of first aid supplies and equipment
stretcher
ready access to sink with hot and cold running water and soap dispenser
ready access to a telephone	emergency communication purposes
refuse container	lined with disposable plastic bag
workbench or dressing trolley