Provider of first aid

When arranging first aid, the employer shall carefully consider all the necessary steps, because a person’s life and health may depend on first aid that is provided in a timely and skilled manner. Aid shall be available in all situations related to work and it is up to the manager of the enterprise to organise it in a way that everything possible is done in any situation to keep the victim alive until medical assistance arrives.

The employer shall designate      at least one provider of first aid from among the employees, taking into account:

• the number of employees;
• the frequency of occurrence of damage to health;
• the regional division and
• nature of activities of the enterprise.

It may be necessary to designate several providers of first aid. In an enterprise which comprises several structural units on separate territories or in which work is done in shifts, each structural unit or shift shall have at least one provider of first aid present. It is important to follow the principle that, at all times, in all work-related situations, it shall be ensured that a person capable of providing first aid is readily available in the event of an accident. When determining the number of providers of first aid, it should be taken into account that the person who is able to provide first aid can also be involved in an accident. In addition, it is worth remembering that an employee who is the only provider of first aid may be on leave, on sick leave or absent from work for another reason.

Details (name and telephone number) of employees who can provide aid shall be placed in a visible location. The employer could also inform employees in other ways (e.g. employee meetings, the enterprise’s intranet). If providers of first aid are changed in the enterprise, information on this shall be given to the employees. It is important that in the event of an accident, when urgent action is required, all employees know who to turn to for first aid. The emergency number 112 shall also be displayed in a visible place.

Workplaces shall provide a first aid room, if it is necessary due to the number of employees, the nature of activities of the enterprise or the nature of damage to health. It shall be taken into account that the room shall enable the provision of first aid and to keep the victim there until medical assistance arrives, and it shall be accessible with a gurney. The first aid room can also be a rest room for employees, so it is important that a person is able to lie down there. The employer shall decide how the possibility to lie down is ensured. The employer shall think about how to arrange the transport of an employee whose health has been damaged to a healthcare institution or home following the doctor’s recommendation.

The provider of first aid shall regularly check the availability of first aid equipment and its compliance with the needs of the enterprise.

Only appropriately trained employees can be the providers of first aid. The employer shall organise training for the provider of first aid. The content of the training is established by regulation No. 50 of the Minister of Health and Labour “The procedure for the training and refresher training of the working environment representative, member of the working environment council and provider of first aid in a continuing education institution”.

The curriculum of the provider of first aid shall, in particular, include the following topics:

• assessment of the situation related to an accident, how to act in the event of an emergency (including how to deal with panic) and how to make the emergency call, evaluation of the victim’s condition (including the risks of moving the victim), the nature and general principles of first aid, peculiarities of providing first aid outdoors, prevention of further damage to health;
• life-threatening conditions, how to recognise them, and essential activities (including in the event of heart attack, stroke and lung injury);
• first aid in the case of unconsciousness – ensuring the respiratory tract is unrestricted, prevention of brain damage caused by lack of oxygen, removal of foreign body from the respiratory tract, resuscitation (including use of resuscitation AED);
• first aid in the case of injuries – superficial and deep cuts, internal and external haemorrhage, techniques for stopping haemorrhage, wound dressing techniques and rules, hazards related to fractures, rules of and hazards related to splinting;
• joint injuries (including dislocations and sprains), contusions and crushes of various parts of the body, eye injuries;
• first aid in the event of drowning, poisoning, corrosion, burns, frostbite and electric shock;
• the nature of shock and the assistance to a victim in the state of shock;
• first aid in the case of sudden illness (e.g. epileptic seizure, diabetic coma, anaphylactic shock, loss of consciousness, asthma attack, abdominal pain);
• selection and use of first aid equipment in the workplace.

The employer shall organise training for the provider of first aid within one month as of his or her designation at the employer’s expense, the training shall be at least 16 hours long. The provider of first aid shall receive refresher training after every three years, lasting six academic hours. The provider of first aid shall be paid an average working day wage during training and refresher training.

A provider of first aid shall not undergo training if he or she has completed an equivalent training course no more than three years before being designated as the provider of first aid. A provider of first aid shall not undergo refresher training if he or she has completed an equivalent training course no more than within three years after the previous first aid training.

There is also no need to provide training to a provider of first aid if the daily work of the provider of first aid requires the provision of emergency medical care, anaesthesiology, intensive care or ambulance services.

Organisation of training and refresher training.

First aid training and refresher training may be carried out by a manager of a continuing education institution according to the requirements of the Adult Education Act.

In order to operate as a continuing education institution, the provider of the refresher training shall submit a notice of economic activities. The manager of a continuing education institution shall disclose, through the Estonian Education Information System, the continuing education institution’s curricula groups in which continuing education is provided, the curricula forming the bases for the issue of an activity licence for the provision of continuing education, the information concerning the activity licence, the contact information and website address of the institution.

The manager of a continuing education institution shall disclose on its website the bases for the organisation of studies in continuing education, the continuing education curricula, the names of adult educators of the continuing education courses together with the description of the qualification, learning or work experience proving their competence, the information concerning the activity licence issued for the provision of continuing education with the authorisation obligation and the bases for ensuring the quality of the activities of the continuing education institution.