First Aid Policy

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

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  • 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 re usable, clean and disinfect after use)
small dressings bowl hold 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 questions 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 content 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 use by 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
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