COVID-19 Safety: Providing First Aid and Working at Heights

COVID-19 Safety: Providing First Aid and Working at Heights

The post-COVID return to work will present numerous challenges and changes to old processes. While this is a great, necessary step to ensuring that employees and customers remain safe, it underlines the need for training to ensure people understand and follow best-practices for first aid and working at heights. Are your employees receiving the critical training they need?

Through safe training delivered (either in part or in whole) online, your team can continue to receive the valuable skills training needed while remaining safe and distant from each other.

Physical closeness, especially for people who already operate in potentially unsafe environments, can be the difference between sickness and health. Lessen the risk of your employees and customers contracting COVID-19 by ensuring they are confident in their processes; provide training and choose a trainer who’s committed to employee wellness!

Provide Employee Training When Social Distancing is Impossible (First Aid and Working at Heights)

Maintaining a safe, healthy working and living environment in paramount. While social distancing is a great way to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it’s still key to update best practices; especially when maintaining 6 feet of distance is impractical or impossible.

As a leader in online and blended safety training programs, Heartzap is committed to ensuring your team receives high-quality training during this time. As a result, we’ve looked closely at two of our most popular training programs and evaluated how to provide them in a more convenient, safer way.

Online First Aid Training: Defer In-Class Component

Heartzap typically offers a blended first-aid training program that provides parts of the course online while other components are delivered in a classroom environment. Since the in-class portion isn’t viable right now, Heartzap has been granted approval from the WSIB to issue an interim 3-year certification after the completion of the online first aid training component. This interim certification will be fully recognized by the Ministry of Labour. Trainees are expected to complete the in-class practical component once social distancing mandates are lifted.

Blended Working at Heights Training: New Physical Distancing Measures

Companies can also receive our Working at Heights blended training course again; both the online and in-class portion must be completed to receive the certification despite COVID measures in effect. Specifically for this, we’ve developed measures to ensure the practical component adheres to social distancing mandates. Included in these measures, instructors will keep some space when monitoring practical activities, can give instruction from a distance, will require equipment disinfection between users, and will be limited to only four students per room.

Back to Work Protocols: Procedure Development when Formal Training Isn’t Required

For businesses who don’t need updated training for first aid or working at heights, the working world will still be different following COVID-19. Consider developing back to work protocols in collaboration with a partner that understands the critical health and safety challenges that the pandemic has caused.

This could include systemic changes like the creation of flexible hours, social distancing in the workplace, or even visitor screening. Collateral can also help, including proper signage (Mandatory COVID sheets upon entry, proper hand washing, etc). Develop cleaning procedures to make sure things are properly disinfected regularly, and ensure your team contributes to the safety of your work space!

Request Employee Training to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

As advocates for occupational health and safety, we want to see all employers adopt procedures that keep employees and customers safe. To ensure your business is doing its part, consider registering for training programs, or have us custom build back to work protocols that are unique to your organization.

Contact Heartzap today to learn more about training and get started in making your workplace more resilient to COVID-19.