First aid training for maritime crews becomes much more relevant when learners can relate the skills to their own vessels, equipment and working environment.

First Aid and Safety Training delivered onsite Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) training with additional catastrophic bleeding training for Svitzer Tees, bringing together seven learners including skippers, crew and administrative staff.

Rather than treating the course as a generic workplace first aid session, we used the experience of the Svitzer team to discuss how an emergency could be managed during river operations on the Tees and Tyne.

First Aid Training for Maritime Crews

The core principles of first aid don’t change because somebody works on a vessel, but the environment in which those skills have to be used certainly can.

A maritime crew may need to consider:

restricted space around a casualty
relatively small numbers of crew
maintaining safety onboard while managing an emergency
accessing first aid and medical equipment
communicating effectively between crew members
how quickly additional medical assistance can reach them

These considerations gave the group plenty to discuss throughout the course.

Instead of creating artificial scenarios that had little connection with their work, we could relate the training to situations the crew could realistically encounter.

Emergency First Aid at Work and Catastrophic Bleeding

The team completed Emergency First Aid at Work training alongside additional catastrophic bleeding training.

Core practical skills included:

assessing an incident safely
recognising an unresponsive casualty
adult CPR
using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
managing an unconscious casualty
responding to choking
controlling external bleeding
recognising and managing shock

Additional training then considered severe, life-threatening bleeding and the techniques and equipment that may be required to control it.

This was particularly relevant when discussing an operational environment involving machinery, equipment and the potential for serious trauma.

Learners were able to practise the techniques rather than simply discussing them.

You can find more information about the Emergency First Aid at Work qualification and practical skills involved.

Working With Svitzer’s Onboard Medical Equipment

One of the advantages of delivering the course onsite was the opportunity to look at the Category C medical kit carried onboard Svitzer vessels.

A maritime medical kit is different from the basic first aid kit people may be familiar with in an office or other shore-based workplace.

Working with Svitzer’s own equipment allowed the crew to consider what was actually available to them rather than discussing an imaginary first aid kit.

We looked at:

the equipment available within the kit
how it differs from a standard workplace first aid kit
additional medical supplies carried onboard
where equipment is stored
the importance of becoming familiar with equipment before it is needed
the limitations of the equipment available to the crew

This made the training considerably more relevant.

In a genuine emergency, crew members need to know what equipment they have and where to find it. The middle of an incident is not the ideal time to open a medical kit for the first time.

Real Emergency Experience in the Training Room

Another strength of this first aid training for maritime crews was the experience already present within the group.

Several learners had encountered genuine emergencies during their careers or personal lives.

One learner described hearing radio traffic concerning a suspected heart attack on a fishing vessel and discussed the challenges of coordinating a response with only a small crew available.

Another had previous experience of performing CPR and using an AED while serving in the Royal Navy.

Learners also discussed experiences involving serious injuries and diabetic emergencies.

These weren’t hypothetical examples created for a training exercise. They were experiences that people in the room had actually encountered.

That generated valuable conversations about what happened, what made the situations difficult and why maintaining practical first aid skills matters.

Discussing Emergencies on and Around the Water

The group also reflected on serious incidents involving people entering the water and considered the challenges crews and emergency responders could face during similar situations.

These discussions reinforced an important distinction.

First aid is only one part of an emergency response.

Crew safety, rescue procedures, communication and access to professional emergency assistance all remain important. A first aider should not create another casualty by entering a dangerous situation without the appropriate training, equipment and procedures.

Once a casualty can be safely accessed, however, the crew may need to provide immediate first aid while further assistance is arranged.

Small Crews Need to Work Together

When only a few people are available, teamwork becomes particularly important.

During the course we considered how different tasks could be managed during an emergency.

One person may begin casualty care while another contacts the emergency services or other appropriate assistance. Someone may need to retrieve the AED or medical kit while other operational responsibilities continue to be managed.

Clear communication helps prevent duplication and makes sure important actions aren’t overlooked.

This is one reason onsite training can be particularly useful for established teams: learners can discuss how they would work together rather than considering an emergency entirely as individuals.

First aid training for maritime crews at Svitzer Tees — #image_title

What Did the Svitzer Team Think?

Feedback from the seven learners was positive:

“Good course and excellent tutors.” — Michael

“Adam has great training skills and good communication.” — Mark

“Information was easy to understand and enjoyable.” — Andy

“Very good use of the time and friendly trainers, enjoyable day.” — Jodie

“Very good course and informative.” — Anthony

“Brilliant course and well ran.” — Andrew

“Good course for basic first aid.” — Gyles

The team successfully completed the training having practised the required first aid skills and considered how those skills could be applied within their own working environment.

Svitzer Returned for Further Crew Training

This course also became the beginning of further work with Svitzer.

First Aid and Safety Training subsequently returned to deliver further maritime first aid and catastrophic bleeding training for additional Svitzer skippers and boat crew.

The later course allowed Svitzer to extend first aid capability across more of its workforce while continuing to relate the training to its river operations and onboard equipment.

For us, repeat training is particularly valuable because we gain an increasingly detailed understanding of the organisation, its working environment and the situations its employees are concerned about.

Why Onsite Training Worked for Svitzer Tees

This Svitzer course demonstrates where onsite first aid training can add value.

The regulated qualification remains the same, but delivering it within the organisation allows discussions and practical examples to reflect the learners’ actual work.

For Svitzer, that meant we could incorporate:

maritime and river operations
small-crew considerations
onboard medical equipment
catastrophic bleeding
genuine experiences from skippers and crew
teamwork during an emergency

That made the training relevant without changing the fundamental first aid principles learners needed to understand and demonstrate.

Onsite First Aid Training for Specialist Workplaces

First Aid and Safety Training provides onsite first aid training across the North East for organisations that want to train groups of employees at their own workplace.

For maritime, engineering, construction and other operational environments, we can discuss your first aid needs and identify whether additional practical training should be considered alongside the appropriate workplace first aid qualification.

If your organisation is looking for first aid training for maritime crews or another specialist team, contact First Aid and Safety Training to discuss your requirements.

You can also view our customer reviews and South Shields training centre on Google.