New course for professional drivers

A new course has been designed for training providers to deliver a seven-hour first aid training course as a module for Driver CPC training.

Emergency First Aid for Professional Drivers provides the skills and confidence to administer first aid in emergency situations while on the road. It covers spinal injury, unconscious casualty, bleeding, resuscitation, safer handling and moving, and emergencies in public.

Driver CPC has been introduced across the European Union to maintain high driving standards and improve road safety. All professional bus, coach and lorry drivers must hold a Driver CPC.

The initial Driver CPC qualification must be achieved by new LGV and PCV drivers along with their vocational licence to enable them to use their licence professionally.

All drivers need to complete a minimum of 35 hours of periodic training every five years. The training will require attendance at courses but will not require drivers to take or pass further examinations.

Our new Emergency First Aid for Professional drivers first aid course meets the JAUPT regulatory requirements but has been designed to go far beyond simply helping you to tick a box.

Road accidents in the UK accounted for 2,222 deaths in 2008* and 25% of these road fatalities occurred in incidents involving LGVs and PCVs*.

With effective first aid delivered in the time it takes for the emergency services to arrive, many lives could be saved.

The WorkSafe Emergency First Aid for Professional Drivers course covers the syllabus for HSE approved EFAW and includes additional skills to provide a seven-hour training course aimed at professional drivers. A specific WorkSafe training pack and certification is available for trainers and centres now. Visit our online shop for more details.

All existing instructors who can deliver the WorkSafe EFAW course will automatically be entitled to deliver this course.

Existing training centres and instructors should consider contacting providers of Driver CPC training who are registered with JAUPT and explain that you can offer this first aid module. Alternatively if your organisation is already registered to deliver JAUPT approved courses then this course can be added to your existing approval.

Please note that at present WorkSafe does not register your students directly with JAUPT nor is our course directly approved by JAUPT.

For more information on this new programme please contact the WorkSafe Office and speak to Chris Parsons.

*2009 Annual report by the Department for Transport