Trauma

Severe bleeding

Apply direct pressure to control the bleeding as quickly as possible.

Chest and abdomen injuries

Help the person to lie down in a comfortable position and monitor them closely.

Amputation

Stop the bleeding and preserve the amputated body part as much as possible.

Dental avulsion

Store the tooth temporarily (e.g., in Hank’s balanced salt solution, cling film, or cow’s milk) and advise the person to seek help from a dentist as soon as possible.

Cuts and grazes

Clean the wound and cover it to increase healing and reduce the risk of infection.

Blister

Keep the blister clean and covered to prevent infection.

Burns

Cool the burn with running water for at least 10 minutes, ideally 20 minutes.

Fractures, sprains and strains

Keep the injury still to reduce pain.

Spinal injury

Help the person to keep as still as possible to prevent further damage to their spine.

Acute lower back pain

Help the person take the recommended dose of painkiller or apply heat wrap therapy to relieve back pain.

Head injury

Remove the person from their activity and observe them for signs of a concussion or other brain injury.

Aquatic animal injuries

Remove any stinging cells from the skin and apply heat to the injury to reduce pain.

Mammal bites

Clean the bite wound by rinsing it with clean water as quickly as possible to minimise the risk of infection.

Insect bites or stings

Remove the stinger or insect from the person to prevent the further spread of venom or disease.

Snakebites

Help the person keep as still as possible to slow the spread of the venom.

Poisoning

Quickly try to identify the poison, the amount and when (or how long) the person was exposed to it.

First aid guidelines sections

⇒ General approach

⇒ Breathing problems

⇒ Medical conditions

⇒ Mental distress

⇒ Trauma

⇒ Environmental

⇒ Unresponsiveness

⇒ First aid education

⇒ About the guidelines

Explore the guidelines

Published: 15 February 2021

First aid

Explore the first aid recommendations for more than 50 common illnesses and injuries. You’ll also find techniques for first aid providers and educators on topics such as assessing the scene and good hand hygiene.

First aid education

Choose from a selection of some common first aid education contexts and modalities. There are also some education strategy essentials to provide the theory behind our education approach.

About the guidelines

Here you can find out about the process for developing these Guidelines, and access some tools to help you implement them locally.