TQ4 - Staff who provide CPR and/or First Aid

Issue Date	Effective Date	Version
14/12/2023	01/01/2024	1.0

Purpose of this Guideline

To provide guidance to owners or operators of aquatic facilities and/or aquatic programs on the initial training and entry qualifications appropriate for those employed (voluntary or paid) who may be required to provide or administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, defibrillation and/or spinal management / rescue.

Note: All aquatic facilities should provide first aid, oxygen resuscitation, automated external defibrillators and spinal rescue equipment in accordance Work Health Safety Regulations and the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations – Safety Equipment

Responsibilities

First Aiders provide a first aid response to a casualty in line with their training in a nationally recognised first aid course.

Staff providing first aid and/or cardiopulmonary resuscitation at aquatic facilities should do so in a manner consistent with their skills and training.

Initial qualifications

FIRST AIDERS

To perform the duties of a First Aider an individual should hold at minimum one of the following nationally recognised units of competency, or their most recent superseded version, or successive replacements, regardless of whether deemed equivalent or non-equivalent:

HLTAID011 Provide first aid; or,
HLTAID014 Provide advanced first aid.

Note: Staff should undertake nationally recognised training resulting in the award of either of the above listed units of competency every 3 years at minimum.

Note: The Pool Lifeguard skill set includes the Provide First Aid unit of competency: https://training.gov.au

RESUSCITATION

To perform the duties of a person providing resuscitation an individual should hold at minimum the below nationally recognised unit of competency, or its most recent superseded version, or successive replacement(s), regardless of whether deemed equivalent or non-equivalent:

HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Note: Staff should undertake nationally recognised training resulting in the award of the above listed unit of competency every 1 year at minimum.

STAFF RESPONSIBILITY FOR MANAGEMENT OF FIRST AID SERVICES

Staff at an aquatic facility who are responsible for the oversight and management of the first aid room and all first aid and rescue equipment, including stock provisions, should hold at minimum one of the following nationally recognised units of competency, or their most recent superseded version, or successive replacement(s), regardless of whether deemed equivalent or non-equivalent:

HLTAID011 Provide first aid; or,
HLTAID014 Provide advanced first aid.

The responsible staff member may also hold the additional below nationally recognised unit of competency, or its most recent superseded version, or successive replacement(s), regardless of whether deemed equivalent or non-equivalent:

HLTAID016 Manage first aid services and resource

REFERENCES

Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines
Safe Work Australia – A Guide to First Aid in the Workplace
A Guide to First Aid in the Workplace, NT WorkSafe.
A Guide to First Aid in the Workplace, WorkCover Tasmania.
ACT First Aid in the Workplace 2006, ACT WorkCover.
Code of Practice: (No 18) First Aid in the Workplace, Victorian WorkCover Authority.
Code of Practice: First Aid Facilities and Services, Commission for Occupational health and Safety, Western Australia.
First Aid Code of Practice 2004, Queensland Government Department of Employment and Industrial Relations.
First Aid in the Workplace, Guide 2001, WorkCover New South Wales.
Code of Practice for Occupational Health and First Aid in the Workplace, 1991, Safe Work SA

PREVIOUS VERSIONS

FA4 Content of First Aid Kits 1 August 2010, Issue 1
SE4 – FIRST AID KITS, Issue 2, September 2017

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