First Aid

Q: What is the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 first aid courses?

A: Level 1 is a shorter course than Level 2 (because Level 2 contains all Level 1 content, plus additional modules).

Q: Why do certificates need to be renewed every three years or have skills retention every year?

A: If skills aren’t used all the time, it’s possible they might be forgotten and also, new and updated techniques and modules are introduced on a regular basis.

Q: Is there a grace period after a certificate expires before a First Aider has to re-do the course?

A: No. Ideally, First Aiders will be contacted by their training institution to schedule a new or refresher course before the current certificate expires. Alsco training ensures all its students and their managers are made aware of any First Aider certificates that need to be renewed.

Q: I’ve been told I need to complete training in additional first aid training modules for my new job. Why is my existing certificate not enough?

A: Certain industries require specific skills because of heightened risks that usually are identified in industry regulations or licensing requirements. Your new employer should have spelled this out at interview.

Q: What does my employer have to do to comply with first aid requirements?

A: Complete a first aid needs assessment; either appoint someone to take charge of first aid arrangements or make sure there are enough suitably-trained First Aiders on site; ensured there are adequate facilities and an appropriately-stocked first-aid box; provide staff with information about first-aid arrangements.

Q: Does Alsco charge per employee or by the number of personnel?

A: Alsco has a clever, simple, customer-friendly system that works on ‘seats’ instead of individual employees. Alsco first agrees with the customer an optimal number of trained staff for each workplace and makes each position a ‘seat’. This means that when a trained staff member resigns, the replacement employee is filling a ‘seat’ and there is no extra charge for training. In this way, Alsco helps our customers avoid unbudgeted ‘surprise’ costs, even if their employee turnover is high.

Emergency Response Training and Evacuations

Q: What legislation does my firm have to comply with in relation to fire safety?

A: There is new Work Health and Safety legislation in place, but depending on what size, industry and where your business is situated, there could be dozens of other State and Territory rules and laws that apply. Alsco is able to advise on what is needed for your business to become and stay compliant and to train your Warden staff.

Q: We are a Sydney-based manufacturing business with 50 or so staff. Are we required to meet any special fire safety rules?

A: Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation 43 states that a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure that an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace. Many other rules and laws also apply to your premises, some of them Federal, others State or local Council-based. If yours is a new business and if you do not already have qualified warden staff in place, you should take immediate steps to become compliant with all legislation. Alsco has a team who can guide you through the process.

Q: We are a highly-automated business. Does Alsco have systems that are paper-free?

A: Yes. We have a number of e-enabled systems and we encourage all customers to move to digitised solutions wherever possible. Our commitment to automation includes auto-prompting for refresher training and many other important initiatives.

Q: Please explain why a managed service is better than in-house.

A: Alsco’s managed service delivers comprehensive expertise from dozens of staff whose costs are spread across our entire customer base. Also, we update ourselves on any changes to legislation at State and Territory level as well as Australian federal level. We believe the complexity of the rules and the implications of changes to them are best left to our experts, leaving our customers to run their businesses.

Q: Our company has a new manufacturing and office outlet. What services can Alsco Emergency Response Training and Evacuations offer us?

A: Alsco Emergency Response Training and Evacuations can carry out a service of your premises’ compliance with current legislation and any other rules applicable to your industry and your business’s location. If you are ‘up to code’, we will issue a document certifying this. If changes to procedures or new fire safety products are required, we will specify what those changes are and either give you a costing and timeline for the improvements or nominate another qualified provider to do the work.

Q: We want to change our current warden training provider. What do we do?

A: Alsco Emergency Response Training and Evacuations can carry out a survey of your current warden’s preparedness to deal with a fire or other emergency. If any remedial training is required, we can deliver it quickly on site and to the highest industry standard. Depending on your industry and location and your buildings’ readiness to deal with a fire, we also can offer a range of supplementary courses and services that are designed to ensure full, expert competence to deal with any fire-related emergency.

Q: What should we do to prepare before a preliminary Alsco Emergency Response Training and Evacuations site survey visit?

A: We prefer to see your company ‘as it really is’ on our site visit – including any debris obstructing exit routes and hazardous item storage procedures. This ensures we are able to deliver an accurate and speedy site assessment that is based on reality. If you have any fire safety-qualified staff, including wardens, we are happy to include them on our staff training program, possibly starting at refresher course level and then adding specialist modules as appropriate.

Q: Can we have courses tailored to suit our needs?

A: Yes you can. Alsco Emergency Response Training and Evacuations staff will give you a written report that covers all the legislative and other minimum requirements your business must meet, and after that, customisable safety and training modules can be added.