A collapse at work, on a sports pitch or in a public place can leave people unsure what to do first. This guide to basic life support sets out the practical actions that can protect life while professional help is on its way. The priority is not to make a perfect diagnosis. It is to recognise an emergency, summon help quickly and provide safe, effective care within the limits of your training.<\/p>\n
Basic life support, commonly shortened to BLS, is a core first aid skill for workplaces, community groups and individuals. It covers the initial response to a person who is unconscious, not breathing normally or has suffered a cardiac arrest. Training gives people the opportunity to practise the sequence, chest compressions and automated external defibrillator use, rather than trying to recall instructions under pressure.<\/p>\n
Basic life support is the immediate care given before ambulance clinicians or other emergency responders arrive. It includes assessing danger, checking responsiveness, opening the airway, checking breathing, calling 999, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) where available.<\/p>\n
For employers, BLS should sit within a wider first aid needs assessment. A low-risk office may need a different level of cover from a construction site, nursery, gym, forestry operation or marine activity. The core response to cardiac arrest remains consistent, but the equipment available, likely injuries, travel time for emergency services and number of trained staff can all affect what provision is appropriate.<\/p>\n
In an emergency, take a moment to protect yourself and others. Look for immediate hazards such as traffic, machinery, electricity, fire, unstable ground or water. Do not place yourself at risk to reach a casualty. If the area cannot be made safe, call 999 and wait for specialist assistance.<\/p>\n
Approach the casualty and speak clearly. Gently shake their shoulders and ask loudly whether they are all right. If they respond, leave them in the position found if safe to do so, assess what has happened and seek appropriate help.<\/p>\n
If there is no response, shout for help. Ask a specific person to call 999 and return, or to locate an AED. Giving a clear instruction avoids the common problem of several bystanders assuming somebody else has made the call.<\/p>\n
Place the casualty on their back if it is safe and practical. Open the airway using a head tilt and chin lift: place one hand on the forehead to gently tilt the head back, and use two fingers of the other hand to lift the chin.<\/p>\n
Look, listen and feel for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds. Occasional gasps, irregular snoring sounds or slow, ineffective breaths are not normal breathing. These agonal breaths can occur in the early stages of cardiac arrest and must not delay CPR.<\/p>\n
If the person is breathing normally but remains unconscious, place them in the recovery position where appropriate, call 999 and continue to monitor their breathing. If there is any doubt about whether breathing is normal, treat the situation as a cardiac arrest and begin CPR.<\/p>\n
Call 999 or ask another person to do so. Put the phone on speaker if you are alone, as the call handler can provide instructions while you begin treatment. Give the location as accurately as possible, explain that the casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally, and follow the dispatcher\u2019s directions.<\/p>\n
Start chest compressions in the centre of the chest. Place the heel of one hand on the breastbone, put the other hand on top and interlock your fingers. Keep your arms straight and position your shoulders directly above your hands. Press down 5 to 6 cm at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, allowing the chest to fully recoil after each compression.<\/p>\n
After 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths if you are trained, willing and able to do so. Re-open the airway, pinch the nose, make a good seal over the mouth and give each breath over around one second, watching for the chest to rise. Then return immediately to compressions.<\/p>\n
If you cannot give rescue breaths, or do not have a suitable barrier device, continue with hands-only CPR. Continuous chest compressions are far better than doing nothing. In a workplace, access to appropriate personal protective equipment and a resuscitation face shield can make rescue breathing more practical, but compressions must never be delayed while searching for equipment.<\/p>\n
Continue CPR until the casualty shows signs of life, an AED takes over the assessment, ambulance personnel tell you to stop, another trained person can relieve you, or you become physically unable to continue.<\/p>\n
An AED is designed for use by members of the public and trained first aiders. It analyses the casualty\u2019s heart rhythm and, when appropriate, instructs the user to deliver a shock. Early defibrillation can be critical in certain cardiac arrests, which is why workplaces and public venues should know where their nearest device is located.<\/p>\n
Switch the AED on as soon as it arrives and follow its spoken or visual prompts. Expose and dry the casualty\u2019s chest, then attach the pads exactly as shown on the diagrams. One pad is normally placed on the upper right chest and the other on the left side below the armpit.<\/p>\n
Make sure nobody is touching the casualty while the AED analyses the rhythm. If a shock is advised, clearly say that everybody should stand clear and visually check before pressing the shock button. Resume CPR immediately after the shock, or immediately if no shock is advised. The AED will tell you when to pause for another analysis.<\/p>\n
There are practical exceptions. Remove medication patches from the pad area and wipe the skin clean. If the chest is very hairy and pads will not adhere, use the supplied razor if available, but do not create an unnecessary delay. A casualty who has been removed from water should have a dry chest before pads are applied. Do not use an AED in a flammable atmosphere or while the person is lying in standing water.<\/p>\n
The same principles apply to children and infants: make the area safe, check for a response, open the airway, assess breathing and call 999. However, paediatric cardiac arrests are more commonly linked to breathing problems than sudden heart conditions. Rescue breaths are therefore especially significant when a child or infant is not breathing normally.<\/p>\n
Paediatric basic life support requires age-appropriate techniques, including a different compression depth and hand position. An AED with paediatric pads or a paediatric mode should be used for children where available, following the device instructions. Infant and paediatric first aid<\/a> should be taught and practised on a suitable accredited course, particularly for nursery staff, childminders, coaches and anyone responsible for children.<\/p>\n If a casualty has a suspected spinal injury, airway management remains the priority when they are unconscious and not breathing normally. Avoid unnecessary movement, but do not allow concern about the spine to prevent you from opening the airway, starting CPR or placing a breathing unconscious casualty in a position that keeps their airway clear.<\/p>\n Watching a video or reading a procedure can improve awareness, but it cannot replicate the physical demands of CPR or the decision-making required in a real emergency. People often compress too slowly, too shallowly or pause for too long. Hands-on practice allows learners to receive feedback on depth, rate, hand placement and AED operation.<\/p>\n Regular refreshers also matter. Skills fade, workplace teams change and AED locations can be forgotten. Employers should ensure first aid arrangements are communicated clearly, including who the trained first aiders are, where equipment is kept, how to access the site address or what3words reference, and how staff can guide ambulance crews to the casualty.<\/p>\n For organisations across Scotland, SPR Training can deliver practical basic life support training<\/a> as part of a wider first aid programme, either at its Airdrie training centre or at client premises. The appropriate course depends on the workplace risk assessment<\/a>, the role of the learner and whether adults, children or specialist environments are involved.<\/p>\n The most useful preparation is simple: know how to call 999, know where the AED is, and practise the actions that keep blood and oxygen moving. When someone stops breathing normally, prompt action from the person beside them can give emergency services the time they need to make a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This guide to basic life support explains how to assess danger, call 999, give CPR and use an AED with confidence until help arrives promptly in Scotland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spr.training\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why practical training matters<\/h2>\n