3 Mistakes Old-School Clubs Make Around First Aid
It’s all-too easy for clubs that have been long established to switch off on the matter of first aid management in favour of their students’ continued technical development. Here are three common mistakes we hear from ‘old-school’, long established clubs.
1.) Absolutely no record keeping or accident log book.
Time and time again this becomes a major problem for old-school clubs defending themselves from an insurance claim. Without an accident log book and proper record keeping of injuries and treatment, clubs leave themselves very vulnerable to claims for negligence as there remains little evidence to defend their actions.
Every club should keep a log book of any injuries, accidents or treatments. You should always ask the student (or a parent/guardian) to add relevant notes and sign this account too, to ensure there is an undisputed account of what happened, what treatment was given and what the ultimate outcome was.
2.) Out Of Date Supplies & Risk Assessments
We’ve banded together two very different items here, but it effectively centres around keeping everything up to date. Whether it’s a first aid kit that has been slowly depleted over several years or a risk assessment that has failed to note revisions to class size, venue or structure – outdated supplies and policy can prove very problematic in the face of an immediate first aid incident. Alarmingly, it also has a huge knock-on impact for potential claims too.
3.) A Lack Of Martial Arts First Aid Refresher Training
Even the very best clubs with great instructors (whom have never had any injuries under their care) must ensure they are keeping all staff up to date with regular first aid refreshers. Aside from being a case of policy and first aid requirement, it’s also good practice. Things change fast in the medical world, so whether it is a revision to the chest pression to rescue breath ratio or a new way to treat a seizure (for example), it’s crucially important you are getting your team to remain up to date on their first aid competencies. You can explore martial arts first aid refreshers, including approved online refresher courses, from here.