First aid at work: what supervisors need to know

Why it matters

The first minutes after an injury decide a lot. Fast action can stop heavy bleeding. It can keep an airway open and restart a heart. An ambulance on a busy road or a remote site can take a while to arrive.

First aid also covers small injuries. A cut cleaned and dressed today does not turn into an infection next week.

Plan your first aid

Start from your risk assessment. Ask what injuries your work could cause and how fast help can reach you. A site office needs less than a steel yard or a remote jetty. Think about each of these:

• The main hazards: machinery, chemicals, work at height, heat, electricity.
• How many people work on each shift and in each area or floor.
• Lone workers, night shifts and teams that move between sites.
• Distance and travel time to the nearest hospital or clinic.
• Workers who do not speak the main site language.

What the rules require

The WSH (First-Aid) Regulations set the baseline for Singapore workplaces. They do not apply to hospitals and medical clinics. The points below come from the regulation text (2007 edition). Check the current version on Singapore Statutes Online before an audit.

• First-aid boxes (reg 4): every workplace needs enough of them. In a building, every floor needs enough of them.
• Each box must be adequately equipped and properly maintained. It must be checked often so every item works. Mark it clearly as a first-aid box. Put it somewhere well lit and easy to reach. The occupier appoints a person to be in charge of it.
• Keep nothing in the box except first-aid items.
• First-aiders (reg 5): where more than 25 people are employed, appoint one first-aider for every 100 employees or part of 100. First-aiders must be readily available during working hours.
• On shift work, each shift must meet the same ratio.
• Each first-aider must have passed a course acceptable to the Commissioner. They must also take any retraining the Commissioner requires.
• Each first-aider keeps a record of all treatment they give.
• A notice in the workplace must list the names of the first-aiders.

Choosing and training first-aiders

Pick people who are on site most of the time, stay calm and are respected by the crew. Cover leave, meal breaks and overtime. If your only first-aider is at lunch, you do not have first aid.

Book refresher training before certificates lapse. Keep a list of each first-aider's course date and expiry. Add skills that match your risks. These may include heat stroke cooling, chemical splashes to the eye, or using an AED.

First-aid boxes and equipment

Place boxes close to the work, not locked in an office. Put one in each site vehicle that carries crews. Add an eyewash station where people handle chemicals or dust.

Give each box a contents list and a check card. The person in charge checks it on a set day. They replace used and expired items and sign the card. Report any box that has been raided for painkillers or tape.

When someone is hurt

Every worker should know what to do in the first minute. Put this on the site notice board and in induction.

• Make the area safe. Stop the machine, isolate power, or move away from danger if you can do so safely.
• Shout for the nearest first-aider.
• Call 995 for a serious injury, collapse, chest pain or breathing trouble. Give the exact site address and gate.
• Send someone to meet the ambulance at the gate.
• Do not move a person with a possible neck or back injury unless they are in danger.
• Tell the supervisor. Record the injury and the treatment given.

After the injury

The first-aider writes down every treatment, however small. Note the date, the name, the injury, what was done and where the person went next. Read these records each month. Five plaster cuts at one station point to a sharp edge that needs fixing.

Some injuries must also go to MOM. Under the WSH (Incident Reporting) Regulations, report a work accident through iReport if it kills someone. Report it too if an employee needs more than 3 days of medical leave or at least 24 hours in hospital. This list comes from the WSH Council ergonomics guidelines. Tell your safety officer the same day so they can meet the deadline.

Common mistakes

These gaps show up on most site audits.

• First-aiders all on the day shift, none at night.
• First-aid certificates expired with no refresher booked.
• Boxes locked, empty, or used to store tools and medicines.
• No first-aid box on upper floors or at the far end of a large site.
• Name notice out of date, listing workers who left months ago.
• Minor injuries treated but never written down.

Use it on site: the first aid at work checklist and the toolbox talk to brief your crew.

Sources

1. Workplace Safety and Health (First-Aid) Regulations (2007 Ed., hosted by NUS), Government of Singapore.
2. WSH Guidelines on Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace (incident reporting summary), WSH Council.
3. WSH Guidelines on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace, WSH Council.
4. First aid at work, UK HSE.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.