St John Ambulance is today launching the inaugural Lifesavers at Work Awards. A nationwide hunt is under way for the UK’s most inspirational workplace heroes; people who have used first aid skills to save a life, or support someone in a medical emergency, while at work.
The awards come as new research, commissioned by England’s leading first aid charity, lays bare the scale of workplace first aid preparedness across the UK. More than one in four (29%) of UK workers have needed first aid treatment in the workplace, while a further 45% have witnessed a colleague experience a medical emergency. Yet when these situations arise, most people do not know how to treat the patient.
Just two in five (40%) workers witnessing a medical emergency were able to administer first aid themselves, with 45% resolving to help in other ways such as calling for assistance. Tragically, in some cases (3.8%), nobody at the scene feels equipped to do anything at all.
All UK businesses are legally required to provide appropriate first aid arrangements depending on size and level of risk, but few employers have delivered training for a significant proportion of their workforce, and most small low-risk employers have little more than a well-stocked first aid box.
Lisa Sharman, Head of Education at St John Ambulance: “Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, including in the workplace, and when they do, it’s often the people closest by who make the greatest difference. Yet our research shows that many people still don’t feel confident enough to step in and help. These awards celebrate the everyday people who found the courage to act when it mattered most. By recognising their stories, we hope to inspire more people to gain the confidence and practical first aid skills that could one day save the life of a colleague, a loved one or even a stranger. Together, we can create safer workplaces, stronger communities and ultimately, more lives saved.”
The Lifesavers at Work Awards tap into a growing public sentiment that everyday heroes deserve more recognition than they currently receive. Indeed, four in five UK workers (83%) believe lifesavers should be celebrated more than Oscar winners, with just 1.8% disagreeing, according to St John Ambulance’s research.
When asked which workplace emergencies they would be most worried about facing, workers ranked cardiac arrest as their biggest concern, cited by 33% of respondents, followed by choking (10%) and severe bleeding (8%). The results suggest many workers are particularly concerned about emergencies that require a fast, confident response, and yet, one in four (25%) UK workers do not know who their workplace’s designated first aider is.
The awards also recognise those who have used skills gained through workplace training to save lives beyond the office, including while working from home and in their communities. Douaa’s story is one such example.
The story of Douaa Sultan
When Douaa, a 24-year-old insurance broker from Milton Keynes, saw her father, Hussam (54) collapsed in the garden, she administered CPR, a skill she had only learned two weeks earlier, through a St John Ambulance workplace first aid course. She kept him alive for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived, helping to save his life. Hussam was discharged from hospital 11 days later and made a full recovery.
“I’m naturally a very anxious person but in that terrifying moment, seeing my dad collapsed on the floor, adrenaline took over and thanks to the training I’d done just two weeks before, I knew exactly what to do” says Douaa.
“I couldn’t talk about that day for a long time afterwards, it was all too raw, but if sharing our story helps more people take up training and potentially save lives, it will be incredible. It has already encouraged my mum to go on a first aid training course and learn those lifesaving skills for herself.”
Her father, Hussam, adds: “I’m so proud of my daughter, not just for saving my life, but inspiring others to follow in her footsteps. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Nominations for the first awards ceremony in November are open from now through to Friday 4th September. To find out more, visit https://shop.sja.org.uk/pages/lifesaver-awards
