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The British Red Cross is offering a unique opportunity to stay abreast of imminent changes to the rules governing first aid at work.

Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations will soon face their big­gest shake up in 25 years. The Health and Safety Executive has con­sulted with industry stakeholders about changes that could see the four-day first aid at work qualification being replaced by a three-day course and the introduction of an HSE accredited one-day course named Emergency First Aid at Work.

To ensure compliance with the new regulations, employers will be required to carry out an assessment of first aid needs. This in­volves consideration of workplace hazards and risks, the size of the organisation and other relevant factors. Such risk assessments have always been a legislative requirement, but the HSE guidelines have been revised to better complement the updated courses.

The changes are expected to be implemented in mid 2009. leaving companies limited time to familiarise themselves with the new rules and decide upon any appropriate action for their business. British Red Cross First Aid Training is promising to help industry over­come this information gap by offering an email updates sendee that will bring the latest information on the changes, and how they may affect your business, directly to your desktop.

Figures published by the IISE last month state that 2006—07 was the worst period for injury and ill health at work for four years, with one in every one hundred employees experiencing a non-fatal report- able injury at work. These are not surprising figures when placed in the context of research conducted bv the British Safety Council which suggests that as many as 62% of workers had received little or no health and safety training. The result is that employers face an annual bill of £7.8 billion for pay outs and costs for accidents and injuries at work, the equivalent of £250 a second.

All businesses are required to provide "adequate and appropri­ate" equipment and personnel to provide first aid should an em­ployee become ill or injured at work. This obligation will remain unchanged following the introduction of the new courses, but with­out a hard and fast rule to dictate the number and category of first aider required, many become confused about what is considered ap­propriate to their place of work, often leading to no training at all being offered.

The Red Cross has been offering advice on remaining compliant with health and safety obligations and a full portfolio of first aid at work courses for the past twenty-six years and is promising to make the transition as painless as possible for businesses by providing clear, straightforward explanations of the new requirements.

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A lifeboat is a boat designed to save the lives of people in trouble at sea. This term is predominantly used in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and may refer to special shore-based vessels manned by vol­unteers, designed to quickly reach a ship or individuals in trouble at sea. Lifeboats may be rigid or inflatable vessels.

The first boat specialized as a lifeboat was tested on the River Tyne on January 29, 1790. William Wouldhave and Lionel Lukin both claimed to be the inventor of the first lifeboat. One example of an early lifeboat was the Landguard Fort Lifeboat of 1821, designed by Richard Hall Gower.

In U.S. waters, rescue-at-sea is part of the duties of the United States Coast Guard, which employs its multipurpose ships and air­craft in this role.

Modern motor life boats (MLB) originated as life boats that had been modified with the addition of an engine and provided more power to get in and out of the swell area inside the surf. They can be launched from shore in any weather and perform res­cues further distances out. Older lifeboats relied on sails and oars, which are slower and dependent on wind conditions or manpower. Both types remain in use. All lifeboats of this type generally have modern electronic devices such as radios and radar to help locate

the party in distress and carry medical and food supplies for the survivors.

The MLB was initially developed by the United States Life Sav­ing Service in 1899, of which models derived from this hull design remained in use until 1987. The United States Life Saving Service later would become the United States Coast Guard and continue in its original mission of saving lives.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (or RNLI) maintains lifeboats around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, manned by unpaid volunteers with equipment funded through voluntary donation — web-site at www.rnli.org.uk. Most Scandinavian countries also have volunteer lifeboat societies. The local branch of a society generally schedules practices, maintains a lifeboat and shed, and is contacted by commercial marine radio op­erators when a rescue is needed.

In Australasia, surf lifesaving clubs operate inflatable rescue boats (IRB) for in-shore rescues of swimmers and surfers. These boats are best typified bv the rubber Zodiac and are powered by an outboard motor. The rescue personnel wear wet suits.

The Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RIB) is now seen as the best type of craft for in-shore rescues as they are less likely to be tipped over by the wind or breakers. Specially designed Jet rescue boats have also been used successfully. Unlike ordinary pleasure craft, these small to medium sized rescue craft often have very low freeboard so that victims can be taken aboard without lifting. This means that the boats are designed to operate with water inside the boat hull and rely on flotation tanks rather than hull displacement to stay afloat and upright.

Lifeboat tender of the Oosterdam showing the "face mask" over the front windows, and the rolled-up tarp that can be brought down over the entry port to make the boat watertight.

The Dutch lifeboat association (KNRM) has put many efforts in developing jet-driven RIB lifeboats. This has resulted in 3 class­es. The largest is the "Arie Visser-class": length 18.80 m, twin jet, 2 x 1,000 hp, max. speed 35 kts, capacity 120 persons.

Lifeboats are also operated inland at specific events, organisations such as the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK) provide coverage of rivers, lakes and such like.