----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 10:50 AM
Subject: (no subject)
> Can anyone help with this please? A college in the south has recently been
> visited by HSE. In the nurses' 'San' they removed some items ~ for example
> smelling salts ~ saying some substances are no longer allowed in such
places.
> Is there a list of such 'banned' items please?
>
> Regards
>
> Keith
>
I do not wish to get into the rights and wrongs of this debate but here is
my pennies worth of knowledge, I shall leave you to make up your own mind as
to what is right and what is wrong:
AFAIK I do not believe that there is a "banned" list of products, however,
I am guessing that the HSE removed the said "offending items" because they
were not deemed to be items suitable for the rendering of first aid (by the
HSE).
The reasons for saying this is as follows:
There is an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) which highlights the suggested
contents of FA boxes amongst other considerations. For example my current
copy of the Approved Code of Practice issued by the HSE states:
1. That the use of antiseptics is not necessary for the first aid
treatment of wounds.
2. FA boxes should contain a sufficent quantity of suitable first aid
materials and nothing else.
3. FA boxes which are to form part of an establishment's permanent FA
provision, should contain only those items which a First Aider has been
trained to use.
As far as I can see whilst there has been an ACOP laid down, it seems that
it is down to the employer to carry out a risk assessment of his business
and then act accordingly. The ACOP only gives guide lines as to what the
minimum requirements should be and therefore seems to leave it to the
individual busimness to provide what that business sees fit to provide; in
order to meet with it's risk assessment.
Therefore, I would recommend that you contact the HSE for the leaflet IND(G)
214L, which highlights a lot of issues, particularly assessing the needs to
meet with the minimum first aid provision.
Typical Government????
John Nelson
(Ex NHS Paramedic)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|