Take A First Aid Course: First Aid In The Hospitality Industry

A first aid course could be considered necessary for employees and employers across many fields, but hospitality is one where it can be especially important. As an employer, it is vital to ensure the safety and well-being of the customers and staff in your establishment. Fortunately, we at EMCARE provide excellent training at a variety of different levels in our first aid course. Allow us to help prepare your staff for the worst so that they may better assist customers and colleagues if any unfortunate accidents do occur.

4 Reasons Why A First Aid Course Is Essential In Hospitality

Here we will go over four important reasons one should consider investing in a first aid course for your staff.

1. Safety Of Guests And Staff: A first aid course can help to adequately equip your hospitality staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to quickly and effectively respond to medical emergencies such as; choking, heart attacks, injuries from falls, and general safety of customers and staff. The awareness these courses bring can also help in a preventative sense because your staff will be able to better recognise potential dangers and take steps to avoid incidents from happening in the first place.
   
   
2. Legal Compliance: In a legal sense, it is also important to have a certain number of staff who have received first aid courses. This is to ensure that your establishment is able to provide an adequate level of care in case of an emergency. If this is not the case, then the business may be liable for certain accidents and this can result in heavy fines or legal action. It is always best to be prepared.
   
   
3. Professionalism: If your establishment has staff members that have done first aid training, it can help to demonstrate to customers that the business is concerned about their safety and well-being. This is vital in terms of building trust and confidence in the business itself and will likely help to create a positive reputation. In hospitality, this is especially important as word of mouth and the perception of a business is essential to success.
   

4. Peace Of Mind: Knowing that staff members are adequately prepared with first aid training can give management and owners peace of mind, understanding that they will be prepared in the unfortunate event of a medical emergency. This will inevitably reduce stress and anxiety on a day to day basis and allow staff to provide the best possible care to your customers. Another important thing to note is that in more remote or difficult-to-reach locations, your staff may be the only source of medical care for a prolonged period. In these instances, it may be especially important to provide your staff with a first aid course and training.
   

What Can Happen If Staff Members Are Not Properly Trained?

If your staff are not given adequate first aid training, it can have severe consequences for both customers and staff members. In a medical emergency, staff that are not properly trained will not know how to respond correctly and could end up providing the incorrect care for the situation and possibly causing more damage. This can result in a delay in getting professional help and even fatalities. Without first aid training, members of staff may also not be aware of how food-borne illnesses are spread and the correct way to prevent contamination. This kind of incident can lead to bad reviews and potential damage to the establishment’s reputation.

Furthermore, staff without first aid preparation and training can put the business at risk of legal action, if requirements are not met. This is, of course, something that all business owners should aim to avoid. Without proper first aid training your staff members may be highly stressed and overwhelmed during an emergency situation, leading to poor performance and low morale.

Possible Dangers In The Hospitality Industry

As an employer, it is imperative to be aware of the dangers associated with working in the hospitality industry. We will look at a few unfortunate possibilities that may come up.

1. Burns And Cuts: Members of staff that work in the kitchen or with hot equipment are especially at risk of cuts and burns. First aid courses can educate staff on how to properly treat burns and cuts, as well as how to successfully prevent them.
   
   
2. Slip And Fall Accidents: Customers and staff can slip and fall in many different ways within a hospitality business, such as on a wet floor, down the stairs or in the kitchen. A first aid course will allow staff to respond effectively to these kinds of incidents.
   
   
3. Allergic Reactions: This is very common in hospitality as customers may have allergic reactions to certain food or products used in the establishment. First aid courses will teach staff members to recognise the symptoms of an allergic response and how to deal with it.
   
   
4. Cardiac Arrest: This is a very serious incident of course, but it is unfortunately a possible eventuality in hospitality. A first aid course educates staff on the initial signs of cardiac arrest and how to properly perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
   
   
5. Food-Borne Illness: Staff that handle food in a hospitality business can possibly spread food-borne illnesses if they are not trained in the prevention of doing this. A first aid course will help your staff to understand the symptoms of these illnesses and the correct way in which to handle food to avoid contamination.

More About Emcare

EMCARE is a well-established health and safety training company with over 20 years of experience. In addition to first aid courses, we offer a wide range of courses including fire fighting, health and safety, emergency evacuation training and more. We pride ourselves on being the leading training provider in our industry and ensuring that our learners receive the highest quality legal compliance and care training.

We have training facilities in all major cities in South Africa, enabling us to provide our services on a national level. Our training is interactive and we prioritize providing excellent customer service and quality. We believe that the services and training we offer are crucial and we are continually striving to improve and learn.