Exclusive Insight into Advanced First Aid

We have recently offered an exclusive insight into its new Advanced First Aid course by running VIP programmes to selected members of the wind energy industry

VIP delegates from a number of manufacturers, owner/operators and the supply chain of the wind energy sector including Boston Energy, EDF Energy Renewables, EDS, Gamesa, Port of Mostyn, Repsol, RES Ltd and RWE were invited to try out the new course at Maersk Training in Newcastle.

Accommodating the requirements of the wind industry

The Advanced First Aid course builds on the skills acquired during the GWO Basic Safety Training First Aid course. It enables rapid intervention in the event of severe or life threatening trauma or illness by equipping technicians with the skills required to quickly stabilise a casualty. It also allows personnel to effectively monitor the casualty until specialist medical treatment arrives or they can be safely moved to appropriate medical facilities.

The course, which has been developed in partnership with offshore wind turbine manufacturer MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, is the first to offer specifically tailored first aid training to personnel working in remote environments. Since October 2015, the course has been delivered to MHI Vestas’s employees and is now open to all employees within the wind energy industry.

Shortlisted for two awards

The success of the course has already resulted in it being shortlisted for two prestigious industry accolades including the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety Magazine Awards and the Renewable Energy Health & Safety Awards.

Will Calderbank, Port Manager at Port of Mostyn and one of the delegates on the VIP course said: “I found the course thoroughly enjoyable and a real eye opener. I can see that the skills taught on this course will eventually be a mandatory requirement.”

Barry Inglis, Health & Safety Supervisor at Gamesa Wind UK, another delegate on the VIP course said: “I thought the course content was excellent, well thought through and delivered professionally. The Trauma Packs used during the training were an excellent idea.”

Stuart Cameron, Managing Director at Maersk Training in Newcastle said: “Delayed response times can prove to be a fatal factor in life-threatening scenarios, which is what we want to tackle with this course. We believe having advanced first aid skills is crucial in this industry, which is why we are the first to develop the course.

“The course has successfully been rolled out to employees at MHI Vestas. We hope that by running the VIP programme, more companies will follow in MHI Vestas’s footsteps and will see how valuable the skills that are taught on this course are and will offer Advanced First Aid to all employees.”

The verdict

Wayne Mulhall, Service Director at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, comments on why the company chose to offer the Advanced First Aid course: “As part of an ongoing focus on rapid and lifesaving response to potential accidents offshore, all MHI Vestas service technicians will undergo an Advanced First Aid training programme, developed by Maersk Training. This programme will provide our service technicians with training to treat a greater range of potential injuries which may occur offshore.

“Advanced first aid skills are critical to personnel working in offshore wind, many sites are over 20 km from land and transit times mean medical assistance can take longer to arrive than working onshore. Therefore it is critical that our service technicians are able to administer a higher level of first aid treatment as soon as possible after a potential injury.”