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If you’ve ever asked yourself any of the questions below or they resonate with you in some way then why not kick start your 2020 in a positive way? Christmas may have been the season of goodwill, but the festive season is accompanied by a variety of stress factors, including alcohol, changed sleep patterns, increased debts and family conflicts. Losses during the year, be it the death of a loved one or economic setbacks, are also experienced more acutely during this time. More and more employers are seeing the value of creating an environment that provides a positive mental health culture. At ASTS we offer a Nuco certified ‘FAA Award in First Aid for Mental health’, this course is suitable for everyone but has been designed to help employers within the workplace and to provide learners with comprehensive knowledge on a range of the most common mental health conditions and the skills to be able to act should a condition be suspected. For more information regarding this course and to book on our course on 23rd January 2020 head on over to our Mental Health Classroom Courses.

What is Fort Amherst?             Fort Amherst is Britain’s biggest and best preserved Napoleonic Fort, with nearly two miles of ramparts, gun positions, barracks and underground works. It was a formidable obstacle in its time. This site is also one of Kent’s most haunted locations; ghost tours take place on a regular basis as well as paranormal investigations! How does ASTS work with Fort Amherst? Candidates who have successfully passed their SIA Security course with ASTS are offered positions within our sister company ADV Security. ADV has provided security staff to Fort Amherst for the last 5 years ensuring the safety of the staff employed by Fort Amherst as well as the general public attending the attraction. There are lots of variables at events such as these, one of which is the health and wellbeing of visitors. As well as the provision of security staff ASTS also provides paramedic cover. This comes in the form of two ambulance technicians who can deal with any medical problem should it arise. If they cannot deal with a certain medical emergency on the spot with can stabilise a patient who can then be transported to a hospital. Why is pre-planning is vital? Pre-event planning clarifies the security requirements such as numbers of staff and type of security e.g. CCTV operators, door supervisors, or security guards which are needed for any event. How can I get into the security industry and work with ADV? The SIA (Security Industry Association) is the main organisation overseeing the UK’s security industry. It is a legal requirement to hold and SIA licence and to have completed the regulated SIA training to be able to work as a security officer in this country. At ASTS we offer the ‘Door supervisor for the private industry sector’ course, once completed, the student can then apply for this SIA licence and then work within the industry.  For more information and to book onto a course follow this link https://ast-services.co.uk/classroom-courses/door-supervisor-private-security-industry-level-2

Our pets are part of our family and we love them dearly but are you confident that you would know what to do should your pet come to any harm? It could be something simple like a cut or scratch but you could also find yourself in a situation where your pet may need CPR. In any case having some knowledge of First Aid should be a priority, and you don’t need to have your own pet either to want to have pet First Aid knowledge, as a nation of animal lovers this is a must for anyone.  Here at ASTS, our half day course and will give you the knowledge and confidence to look after your pet should anything happen to them, plus what to do in between you getting them to a vet. On the day of our first Pet First Aid course we had a very varied group of attendees which was great to see! We had professional dog walker, a dog fosterer, a therapy dog owner, a student hoping to study to become a vet plus a whole host of pet lovers. Our trainer for the course was Kevin Harrison, he is ex fire fighter and has over 20 years experience of First Aid Training here in Kent and all over the country. Pet First Aid is not dissimilar to Human First Aid, however there are the obvious differences; Would you know how or where to check your dog or cats pulse? How do you perform CPR? How can I transport my pet to the vet in the most comfortable way? Do I need a dedicated Pet First Aid kit? If you would like to know the answers to these questions plus a whole host of information then book on to attend one of our up coming Pet First Aid courses here in our Training room in Strood, Kent. The course is on a Saturday morning and runs for approximately 4 hours, from 10am to 2pm. Here is what some of our attendees said about the courses: “The course was very informative regarding pet first aid and covered a wide range of potential issues from general pet care through to CPR. The atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed which made the course fun and enjoyable. I would recommend it to any pet owners, especially dogs and cats.” “I really enjoyed the course. The location was good and training room fit for purpose. Our trainer was interesting and informative and I liked that included other information and experiences which were relevant. The pace was good, good support and a good size group. I thoroughly enjoyed the course.” “Very informative and useful course, well worth doing.” Come and join us for a fun, informative and possibly life saving day!

The SIA stands for Security Industry Authority. This means that the SIA is wholly responsible for regulating and amending the private security industry in the UK and draws its powders from the Private Security Industry Act 2001. This Act initiated the mandatory licensing of many people working in all security occupations such as contracted security officers, CCTV operators, door supervisors and close protection workers. In order to apply or to hold an SIA license, you must be over 18 and be able to pass a criminality check. Some training courses will also require the applicant to have completed a required level of training, but this will vary from course to course. The main responsibility for the SIA is the obligatory licensing of individual workers within specific sectors of the security industry. To find out whether or not an individual requires a SIA licence you will need to determine the role in which is performed as well as the activity that is undertaken. Failing to apply for a SIA licence yet still engaging in licensable conduct is a criminal offence and can result in imprisonment and/or a fine. Activities that are defined as licensable in relation to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 include cash and valuables in transit, close protection, door supervision, public space surveillance, security guarding, vehicle immobilisation and key holding. There are currently two different types of SIA licenses. The first is a front line license. This is required by anyone undertaking a licensable activity and comes in the form of a plastic card shaped like a credit card. The second is a non-front line license. This type of SIA license is required by those who are managing, supervising or employing individuals who will be engaging in any licensable activity. A non-front line license comes in the form of a letter.

Many people cope with work-related stress differently to others. Some people thrive on it, whereas others would go to extreme lengths to completely avoid it. Either way, stress is something that is commonly related to the workplace and although stress itself isn’t classed as an illness it can lead to more serious health-related issues and often has a huge domino effect on the workplace and how you operate within it. Prolonged and persistent stress is often the cause of mental health problems and a lot of the time it can also lead to physical illnesses such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, headaches and gastrointestinal problems. In fact, it is so common that one in four people in the UK is predicted to experience a mental health problem at some point in their life, be it down to stress or something unrelated, and as a result, this is costing the UK economy an estimated £26 billion each year. With the current economic state as it is, it has become more and more vital to reduce the amount of sickness absence taken in the workplace and as an employer, you have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This also means that you have a legal responsibility to carry out risk assessments that can measure the risk of stress within the workplace. Sadly, many employers do not consider work-related stress to be so strongly linked to poor health and well-being, which is why many workers suffer and therefore have to take time off sick. In this case, managing work-related stress isn’t only relevant to individuals who want to decrease their stress levels, it also applies to employers who need to tackle work-related stress in order to enhance productivity and decrease sickness absences, not to forget to abide by the law. A lot of the time the prevention of harmful stress at work is all down to good management systems rather than simply offering support in the form of counselling. Sometimes it can help to talk things through, but if the work environment is the thing making you ill and nothing has changed when you go back it can become a vicious circle that nobody will benefit from. To help your workers as an employer or manager it is best to identify the problems first and then decide which action to take that will help lessen the levels of work-related stress. Below are a few examples that should explain this process and how it can work: Pinpointing the problem: Some workers struggle to cope with high demands if they have low control over their own work. Action to solve the problem: As an employer it can be hard to trust employers with important jobs but if you see they are suffering due to low control try to give them more control over the job in hand and if this is not possible be sure to support them as this alone can reduce the impact of high demands and low control. As you can see there are ways that you can actively help to reduce the levels of stress within the workplace and hopefully you will now understand the importance of the role and responsibility you have when it comes to managing the well-being and health of your workers.