Guardian Angels Primary School Edmund Rice Drive Ashmore Qld 4214 Policy Name: First Aid Related Policies: Student Welfare and Management Qualities of Angels: Caring, Safe, Respectful. Purpose: 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. Guardian Angels School is required by the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1995 to have first aid equipment or facilities readily available for use. Guardian Angels 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 an 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 includes all members of the Guardian Angels School staff. All staff is required to hold a current qualification. A register containing the names of all first aid personnel, the title and expiry date of their qualification is kept at the school. Regulations At Guardian Angels 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 School sores child is to be isolated and the parents notified Head Lice child is to be isolated, parents notified and the child to go home Head Injury parents to always be notified 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 BIOHAZARD 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 adhesive strips (assorted sizes) USE/FUNCTION/COMMENTS minor wound dressing Asthma Emergency Kit Blue reliever puffer, spacer, alcohol swabs, instructions for management of asthma patient. non-allergic adhesive tape (eg. 2.5cm x 1m packets) eye pads triangular bandages hospital crepe or conforming To be referred to in the management of asthma secure dressings, strapping emergency eye cover slings, support, padding retain dressings
bandage(various sizes eg. 2.5cm 10cm) wound/combine dressings (assorted bleeding control/cover wound sizes) non-adhesive dressings (assorted sizes) wound dressing safety pins (eg. packet of 10) secure bandage, slings scissors (eg. stainless steel sharp/blunt cutting dressings, clothing type 12.5cm) kidney dish hold dressings, instruments (where reusable, clean and disinfect after use) small dressings bowl gauze squares (eg. 2 packets) forceps/tweezers (preferably disposable splinter type 12.5cm) holds liquids eg. antiseptic solutions (where reusable, clean and disinfect after use) wound cleaning 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 antiseptic solution (eg. 30ml) plastic bags (eg 12 medium size) First Aid Manual to be used by qualified personnel for resuscitation purposes pre-measured containers with expiry dates waste disposal 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 Heavy smooth crepe roller For snakebites (sufficient number for assistance bandages (10cm) 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 te 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 ticking (ü) the relevant box. Where the answer to the question is no, further action may be necessary to address the deficiency. 1. Location and Position Comments (if any) a. Is the first aid kit located in a prominent and accessible position? b. Are workers informed and aware of the location of first aid kits? c. Do all workers have access to first aid kits during all work times. 2. Clearly Identifiable a. Can the first aid kit be clearly identified as a first aid kit? b. Is the first aid kit clearly marked with a white cross on a green background? 3. Contents a. Are the contents appropriate to the injuries and illnesses at the workplace? b. Does the first aid kit contain sufficient quantities of each item? c. Is a staff member, trained in first aid, responsible for maintaining the first aid kit? d. Are the contents appropriately labelled? e. Are the contents within their useby dates? f. Are the contents adequately stored? 4. Relevant Information a. Is there a list of contents provided in the kit? b. Are emergency contact telephone numbers clearly displayed? c. Are the extension numbers, names and locations of the nearest first aid personnel clearly indicated? 5. Training a. Have selected staff members received training or instruction in the use and maintenance of first aid kits?
APPENDIX 5 Suggested Contents of a First Aid Room or Area CONTENTS bed or couch suitable seating first aid manual moveable screen or suspended curtain first aid kit dust proof storage cupboards stretcher ready access to sink with hot and cold running water and soap dispenser ready access to a telephone refuse container workbench or dressing trolley USE/FUNCTION/COMMENTS pillow and blankets and fresh set reference purposes privacy needs for storage of first aid supplies and equipment emergency communication purposes lined with disposable plastic bag Approved by: The Principal Issuing Group: Guardian Angels Leadership Team Implementation Date: January 2008 Revision Date: 2015 School Contact Officer: The Principal