Australians have lowest rate of first aid training in the world

The Australian Red Cross has recently drawn attention to the number of domestic and workplace accidents that take place in Australia every year. And according to the Australian Red Cross the figures are alarming. 

Almost half a million Australians are admitted to hospitals every year as a result of injury; with around 12,000 people dying from their injuries, primarily from falls. Yet Australia has one of the lowest rates of First Aid training in the world. 

According to the Australian Red Cross less than 5% of Australians are trained in First Aid and would be able to help in an emergency situation. The majority of falls and injuries, they say occur in the home but workplace First Aid is also low. 

"Workplaces offering first aid is low," Red Cross spokeswoman Amanda Lindsay told ABC News. 

"They might encourage their staff to do first-aid training, but paying for first-aid training - only 50% of Australian workplaces do so.” 

"Giving someone the confidence to perform first-aid duties in the workplace is important,” said Lindsay.

A person whose heart has stopped has an 80% chance of surviving if CPR is started in the first minute, but this goes down to less than 5% survival chance if CPR is not started until 10 minutes later. 

The Australian Red Cross say having the skills to give first aid before an ambulance arrives can also ensure a faster recovery, and say once people have the knowledge it stays with them for life and gives them the confidence to react in the event of an accident. 

“Once trained, it's important for people to continuously review first aid training practices by keeping their first aid certificate up to date to maintain the knowledge and skills throughout their life.” 

Image sourced from Flickr cc: Newtown graffiti