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UNIVERSITY WIDE PROCEDURE

Occupational Health and Safety
- First Aid Services -

1. Purpose

To describe the physical and administrative arrangements to be put in place within the University of Ballarat for the delivery of adequate first aid services in case of injury or illness.

These arrangements, to be read in conjunction with the OHS Procedures - Incident Management and Emergency Management, aim to:


2. Scope

This procedure applies to all Portfolios and the Vice-Chancellor's Office of the University of Ballarat. It excludes contractors whose employer is expected to provide the appropriate level of first aid services, in accordance with the Code of Practice "First Aid in the Workplace" (Occupational Health and Safety Authority, Melbourne, 1995).


3. Definitions

"Area": for the implementation of this procedure, each campus of the University of Ballarat has been divided in distinct Areas, based on buildings, floors, and their occupancy. Refer to the Occupational Health and Safety Record - Emergency Area Responsibilities.

"Area Responsibility": in the context of this procedure, the responsibility for the provision and maintenance of suitable first aid services in each Area of each campus of the University of Ballarat has been assigned to a nominated Division or Portfolio. Nominated Divisions and Portfolios are said to have "Area Responsibility" for these buildings, floors, etc... Refer to the Occupational Health and Safety Record - Emergency Area Responsibilities. In cases where a School or Directorate within a Division or Portfolio organises activities in locations not included in the list of Areas (eg off-campus excursions), that School or Directorate (and by extension the relevant Division or Portfolio) is deemed to have "Area Responsibility" for that activity.

"Readily available": in the context of this procedure, University First Aiders are deemed to be readily available if they:

  • can be easily and reliably contacted;
  • hold a position that does not frequently cause them to be absent from the area or group they serve; and
  • are sufficiently mobile to proceed rapidly to an incident scene that may be some distance away or some floors away.
"University First Aider": means an employee of the University of Ballarat who:
  • holds a current level 2 first aid qualification issued by an accredited first aid trainer, or an equivalent qualification as determined by the Manager - Risk,Health and Safety Services; and
  • is included in the Occupational Health and Safety Record - University First Aiders.

4. Actions

Portfolios and the VCO with Area Responsibilities must conduct assessments of the level of first aid services required in their Area(s). These assessments must be conducted at least yearly and each time organisational changes may impact on the previous assessment. They must be conducted in consultation with staff (Health and Safety Representatives in particular), and in accordance with the following method:

Step 1: Area Classification
Determine first aid classification of each Area using the following guidelines:

Class "A": if staff, students or customers in the Area, or in part of the Area, regularly perform any of the following activities or activities that present a similar risk of injury or illness, the Area or the part concerned shall be classified as "A":

  • use of powered tools, compressed gases, or workshop machinery;
  • use of kitchen equipment, stoves, ovens, food processors, blenders etc;
  • firing of kilns, handling of chemicals classified as "dangerous goods";
  • maintenance, testing or repairs of electrical equipment;
  • contact sports, sports presenting an acrobatics component (gymnastics, diving, trampolining, etc) or physical activities commonly held to be risky (rock climbing, scuba diving, hang gliding, parachuting, etc); or
  • field trips and outdoor activities in areas where medical assistance would normally arrive after 2 hours or more.
Class "B": if staff, students or customers in the Area, or in part of the Area, regularly perform any of the following activities or activities that present a similar risk of injury or illness, the Area or the part concerned shall be classified as "B":
  • use of non-powered hand tools (screwdrivers, hammers, knives, etc)
  • sporting and physical activities other than those included in class "A";
  • artistic performances (theatre, dance, etc)
  • excursions, field trips and outdoor activities in urban areas or rural areas where medical assistance would normally arrive in less than 2 hours;
  • driving group transport vehicles; or
  • heavy manual handling.
Class "C": if staff, students or customers in an Area, or in part of the Area, do not regularly perform any of the activities listed under Class "A" and Class "B", and do not regularly perform activities that present a similar risk of injury or illness, the Area or part concerned shall be classified as "C".

Step 2: University First Aider Numbers
Determine, in consultation with the Health and Safety Representative(-s), the appropriate number of University First Aiders for the Area.

The following guidelines must be used in this process:
Class "A": one University First Aider readily available for 35 people present at any one time (staff, students and customers).
Class "B": one University First Aider readily available for 50 people present at any one time (staff, students and customers).
Class "C": one University First Aider readily available for 100 people present at any one time (staff, students and customers).

Note: When determining the appropriate number of University First Aiders, consideration must be given to:
- absences due to leave or other reasons, and unavailability due to lecturing or other commitments;
- the availability of non-University First Aiders or medical support (e.g. when visiting public or private organisations);
- the geographical spread and possible isolation of people in the Division, Portfolio, VCO, School, Directorate, sub-unit, excursion groups, etc; and
- times outside of normal working hours when staff, students or customers can be expected to be working or using University facilities (e.g. Library).

Step 3: First Aid Facilities
Ensure that first aid kits are provided in the Areas and activities under their control. Minimum numbers of first aid kits per School or Directorate are the same as the numbers specified for University First Aiders, with the additional requirement that a minimum of one first aid kit shall be provided in each building. Special consideration must be given to activities taking place in isolated locations and in multi-storey buildings.

Each kit provided in buildings must contain, as a minimum, the basic contents listed in the First Aid Order Form and any additional module (burn or eye) required, as determined by the local University First Aider(-s) in consultation with local management and the relevant Health and Safety Representative. Kits must comply with the requirements of the Code of Practice, as listed in First Aid Kits.

The contents of first aid kits provided for field excursions shall be determined by the University First Aider(-s) involved.


5. Responsibility

Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Vice-Presidents with Area Responsibilities are responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this procedure are met within the Schools or Directorates within their Divisions/Portfolios. In particular, they are responsible for:
  • ensuring that adequate numbers of University First Aiders are appointed and maintained over time in their Area(s) in accordance with the method outlined above;
  • communicate the names of the University First Aiders, a completed University First Aiders - Nomination Form and a copy of their certificate to the Manager - Risk, Health & Safety for inclusion in the Occupational Health and Safety Record - University First Aiders (if already suitably qualified) or for training (if not);
  • release the University First Aiders for training as coordinated by the Risk, Health & Safety Department; and
  • pay for the cost of training their staff if applicable.
The Manager - Risk, Health & Safety is responsible for:
  • maintaining and updating this procedure and related documents as required;
  • developing, coordinating and delivering, the training required by Supervisors, Managers and University First Aiders to fulfil the role assigned to them in this procedure;
  • assisting Schools and Directorates in complying with this procedure; and
  • maintaining the University's Occupational Health and Safety Record - University First Aiders.
The University Nurse is responsible for the Hepatitis B information, prevention and vaccination program for University First Aiders on the Mt Helen, SMB and Camp Street campuses. At the Western campuses, the Campus Health and Safety Coordinating Teams are responsible for the provision and coordination of a Hepatitis B information, prevention and vaccination program.

University First Aiders are responsible for:

  • complying with the provisions of the OHS Procedure - Incident Management in case of incident;
  • reporting to their Head of School or Director of Directorate, or to the Manager - Risk, Health & Safety, any condition that may prevent them from performing their first aider duties properly and safely;
  • attending the training sessions organised for the maintenance and development of their first aid skills;
  • regularly (eg monthly) checking the contents and condition of first aid kits in their area and ordering first aid stocks as required, using the First Aid Order Form;
  • entering into a Hepatitis B prevention program which may, after proper information and consent, include vaccination; and
  • providing documentary evidence of their first aid qualifications upon request.

6. Policy Base

Occupational Health and Safety Policy - Incident and Emergency Management.


7. Associated Documents

Occupational Health and Safety Record - University First Aiders

Occupational Health and Safety Record - First Aid Kits


8. Forms/Record Keeping

Title Location Responsible
Officer 		Minimum Retention
Period
University First Aider Nomination Form Risk, Health & Safety Department Manager - Risk, Health & Safety For duration of staff member's employment
First Aid Report Risk, Health & Safety Department Manager - Risk, Health & Safety Destroy 15 years from date of incident
First Aid Order Form Risk, Health & Safety Department Manager - Risk, Health & Safety N/A

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Warning - Uncontrolled when printed! The current version of this document is kept on the UB website.

Authorised by: University Health and Safety Policy Committee
Maintained by: Manager - Risk, Health & Safety
Review Date: Dec-2007 		Original Issue: 23/05/2000
Current Version: 01/04/2008