Page 47 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

Chapter 1 Health and safety practices and systems

● There are no legal responsibilities for guests and site visitors, but it is good
practice to include them in first-aid provision.

Your employer must inform all employees of the first-aid arrangements by
putting up notices telling staff who the first-aiders are and where they can be
found, as well as where the nearest first-aid box is kept. It is also good practice
to make provision here for people who have reading difficulties or whose first
language is not English.

Responding to an accident or an emergency
In an emergency, time is of the essence. The faster the emergency services p Figure 1.25 First-aid sign
arrive at the scene, the greater the chance that lives will be saved. The
ambulance service advises that there is around an eight-minute response time
to incidents. Their help and assistance is vital but we also need to help them get
to the emergency. If calling for help:

1 Dial 999 and ask for the service that you require: police, fire or ambulance.
2 Once you are connected, speak clearly and logically to the operator. Tell
them the nature of the incident, the location and possible entry points to
your workplace or site.
3 Send work colleagues to wait at all the entrances for their arrival and to
assist the emergency services when they arrive at the scene so that they can
be directed straight to the incident. If necessary, have a chain of people to
direct them to where they are needed if the site is large.
4 On no account leave the injured person. Stay with them and let the
emergency services come to you.
5 Stay at the scene until you are not needed. Ask if the injured person should
be accompanied to hospital and, if necessary, go with them.
6 Ask someone to advise the injured person’s next of kin, wife/husband, etc.,
without alarming them unduly.
Dealing with minor injuries at work

Even the most cautious person will suffer from minor injuries from time to time.
As a plumber you will experience minor cuts and burns. Here, we will look at the
following minor injuries:
● minor cuts
● minor burns
● objects in the eyes
● exposure to fumes.

Tending minor cuts and burns

Cuts
Minor cuts need treatment to prevent dirt getting into the wound, causing
infection. Some minor cuts will bleed quite a lot, depending on where the cut
is and how deep it is. The area around the wound should be cleaned thoroughly
with soap and warm water. If it is still bleeding, apply direct pressure to stem

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