Month: April 2019

The media has recently run several articles about the need for defibrillators at sporting clubs especially at the playing fields. Although the likelihood for fit young players to need a defibrillator is low we cannot forget about the not so young referees and spectators. The statistics very clearly show the massive increase in survival rates from Cardiac Arrest when first aiders have access to a defibrillator as opposed to having to wait for an ambulance to come. Adrian Date from Vital First Aid has been using defibrillators for nearly 30 years and encourages all sporting venues to invest in one of these life-saving devices. The Heartsine 500P is in his opinion the best defibrillator available on the market for public use, Heartsine also run a free replacement PadPak and free donation of a new defibrillator in the event of a real emergency ( conditions apply ). You can contact Vital First Aid for prices on these devices – generally we will match or typically beat any other competitors price.

Paramedics are now accepted as first aiders – seems silly but under the Code of Practice First Aid in the Workplace 2016, which is a legal document controlling first aid policies in the workplace, a first aid must have completed a Provide First Aid course. NSW Paramedics don’t complete such a course, they START their training at a much higher level. This simply meant that they could not work legally as a first-aider in a workplace. Vital First Aid has been able to change this for paramedics in NSW by gaining a ruling on acceptance of paramedics.

SafeWork NSW accepts that operational paramedics hold first aid qualifications and skills that would equal – or exceed – the nationally endorsed first aid unit of competency, namely “Provide first aid”.

As advised, it is important the  PCBU understands that, and ensures that, systems are in place for the paramedic to regularly provide evidence of current employment as a paramedic, as well as records of any relevant  training undertaken.

Let me take this opportunity to let you know how I enjoyed your course, it is very professional & well structured.  Jason the presenter was excellent.

I loved the way Jason started on time at the beginning of the day and in breaks, not wasting time waiting for inconsiderate people running late, that was very much appreciated.

Also there was no fluffing around, just presenting the facts, and moving on to the next thing, always keeping your attention & interest.

For the past 20 years I have had to have a current first aid certificate & have always renewed with St Johns, this year I decided to give your company a go.  I found your company to be much more professional in presentation, content & structure.  I thoroughly enjoyed your course.

Thank you.

Warm regards

Jenny

Safe Work Australia has published the latest Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities report, providing details on the number of people who have died in Australia from work-related injuries.

The report shows that in 2015, 195 workers died from injuries received at work. This continues the positive downward trend in the worker fatality rate with 1.6 fatalities per 100,000 workers recorded in 2015 – the lowest rate since the report series began in 2003.

Lets hope that this trend continues towards ZERO

Traditionally we have used a violent electrical shock to try and restore the correct electrical activity in a heart. Studies are currently being conducted with very positive results showing that “light therapy” may in the future replace electrical defibrillation.

Vital First Aid is a proud member of the Brain Injury Association of NSW. This ensures that we maintain up to date understanding of the latest research into all forms of brain injury especially acquired brain injuries. Our corporate membership fees also go towards funding of this research into brain injury

Yep it’s a pain but it’s easy and free to gain this number and will provide access to your training records well into the future. All Nationally Recognised training from the 1st January 2015 will require the participant to provide their USI number to the training organisation. This information will then create a database that enables the participant to view, on one site, all of their accredited training and obtain transcripts of this training. You will only need to get this number once.

• Students will be able to get a complete record of their Australian-wide VET achievements from a single, secure and accurate online source.
• There will be immediate access to your training records which can then be easily given to employers or other training organisations etc as proof of VET ( Vocational Education and Training ) achievements.

To get this USI number all you need to do is visit www.usi.gov.au and have some form of approved identification such as a drivers licence number or Medicare card. It should only take a few minutes to create this personal lifetime number.

A WARNING to watch out after a man was stung by a stonefish when he was collecting his cast net at Riverview. Brenton Wilson who is a member of Elliott Heads Surf Life Saving Club took to social media to notify others to be aware of the fish. “I was casting the net around the oyster rocks at low tide near the Riverview Jetty to collect bait as I was shaking it out I thought a small moss covered rock fell out of the net and onto my finger,” Mr Wilson said. “Less than half a minute later the area that was hit started to sting and a hot pain was radiating from the area. “I had a look at the moss covered rock and it turned out to be a small stonefish.” Mr Wilson said the pain was minimal for him but could only imagine if it was a child who had been stung. “I threw the cast net a few more times before I went home and applied some hot water therapy,” he said. He said after a few days there was localised swelling and joint pain in the immediate sting area, which increased throughout the next 24hours. “I attended the doctors who advised there may be a secondary infection from the microbes that are present in the muddy mossy covering of the stonefish,” Mr Wilson said. “Of more concern was the potential for tetanus infection, though my immunisations are up to date so this is not an issue. “I never walk without foot protection in the area as it is known to be a stonefish habitat and discourage my children from walking around that area for not only that, but also the risk of oyster cuts.” Surf Life Saving Queensland Wide Bay Capricorn regional manager Craig Holden said stings from stonefish normally occur on the hand or foot but they had not treated any in the past few years. “We see two or three specimens per season and they are found most commonly around areas where people launch their boats,” Mr Holden said. “It’s important for people to be aware along any coastal area, rocky or river environment. “The good thing is people don’t normally swim in these areas.” Mr Holden said different people could react differently to a stonefish sting and being aware of treatment and first aid would be beneficial. Fast facts: STONEFISH are found in all coastal waters and some fresh water sites. Although there are no reported deaths in Australia, stonefish stings can be potentially fatal. Stonefish spine penetration can result in severe and persistent pain and in these cases the patient should be transported to the nearest hospital immediately for treatment. First aid for stone fish stings involves washing the wound site immediately and soaking the affected area in hot but not scolding water, ideally 44C, for up to 90 minutes may relieve the pain.