The office manager for a NSW logging company has said she is signing all their truck drivers up for an emergency first aid course in the new year.
Cherie Baynam from Greensill Bros in Grafton said that because of the nature of their work, truckies are often among the first people on the scene of an accident.
She told Big Rigs: “We feel that emergency first aid training is very beneficial for truck drivers.
“They spend all day, every day on the road and it’s likely that many of them will come across an accident at some point.
“In the past, we’ve had drivers who were the first or second person on the scene. We’ve had drivers come across fatalities.
“We think first aid training will help our drivers know what to do when they come across an accident.”
Free online first aid training is now available to truckies via a partnership between NatRoad and St John Ambulance.
Baynam has opted for in-person training instead, but she thinks it’s great that the online training is available.
“The majority of our workforce would easily be able to do the training online, but we thought if we could get everyone together face-to-face, the drivers could ask questions if they needed and share personal experiences,” she said.
“We have truck driver safety meetings every year regardless, so we thought we would incorporate this training.
“We have told the drivers that we are going to be doing it and we’ve had really positive feedback.”
Baynam is hoping to source first aid “cheat sheets” for the company’s drivers, which they can keep in the cabin of their trucks.
“Sometimes when an accident happens, you can panic and forget what you’ve learned.
“If the drivers have a cheat sheet, they can look at that quickly and remind themselves of the basics of emergency first aid.”
Warren Clark, CEO of NatRoad, said the uptake of their free online first aid training in collaboration with St John Amublance has been fantastic.
“About 500 people have taken up the offer already and we’re looking forward to that continuing.
“The free availability of the training is due to our partnership with St John Ambulance, the NHVR and Prime Creative Media and a reminder that our entire industry has a stake in keeping people safe.
“Truckies are busy people but they are often put in the position of being the first responder in a collision.”
He said that even the smallest thing you learn in first aid training can help to save a life.
“Something as simple as tilting an unconscious person’s chin upwards to assist breathing can be the difference between life and death.
“This training is basic but it cuts to the chase to deliver practical lifesaving information.”
He added that the Christmas break is an ideal time to do the training.
“It only takes about 30 minutes and people can stop and resume where they left off.”
You can get started on your online training here.