This IS Important Work; That’s Why It’s Called “FIRST Aid”

This happens in 2018. My husband and I own a company that works with companies to provide doctors and nurses for factories and construction OSHA training, First Aid training, and some other things. One of our major accounts is a power company. We not only provide on-site personnel, but we also train them in First Aid. This particular company is very strict on its Health and Safety protocols, and they have shelled a decent amount of money to equip each of their sites, including their offices, with two AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators).

We are also required to provide adjusted training for their staff and crews. Because of the nature of the job, we train them on a schedule of two days, three hours each. One day is theory — because in a factory environment, instead of ABC, you EABC — with a written test at the end, and the next day is a practical exam.

(EABC stands for Environment, Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. It’s a useful acronym to remember what to do in a First Aid situation in a factory or plant. You may also see it with D instead of E, meaning Danger — to the victim or yourself.)

We are scheduled for a two-day training with this company. We are told it will be a small class, around forty people, so I book myself and our senior trainer. We arrive for the training, set up, and start the roll call.

As I said, this company is very hardcore on their Health and Safety. Except for the crews, they require every person that has even the slightest chance of visiting a power plant to have a current First Aid certificate. This means we train a lot of suits. As the room is filling up, I notice [Senior Trainer] talking with a woman I don’t know. The conversation is heated and I approach to see what’s happening.

Me: “Is everything okay?”

Employee: “No, it’s not. As I was saying to this man, I don’t need to take the class. I did First Aid in my previous company and I have very important work to do!”

Senior Trainer: “As I explained, madam, we follow the company policies about training.”

Employee: “But I already know everything!”

Me: “Madam, your manager booked you for the class. He probably thinks it’s more important than anything else.”

Employee: “No. I’m very high in the company. If you don’t release me immediately, you may lose your contract!”

At that point, she looks at us with crossed arms and a smug face. [Senior Trainer], a no-nonsense former trainer for the Army’s Medic Corps, is ready to explode.

Cue malicious compliance.

There is a rule for the training, set by the company, that any personnel that can provide an up-to-date certificate can sign a waiver for the in-person training BUT they have to take the test.

I quickly provide this as an option to [Employee]. She isn’t completely happy, but she takes it. I explain that there are two tests: one in writing and one practical.

Employee: “Fine. Tell me when it’s time to take the tests.”

So, two and a half hours later, she is sitting to take the written test. Immediately, I can see she is struggling since most of the questions are tailored for an industrial setting. The test ends, and we collect the papers. At a quick glance, I know that [Employee] has, at best, passed with a very low grade.

Despite her struggling in theory, she just comes for the test the next day. In this case, I know she is going to fail. Along with their normal CPR, we have added AED training (per company rules) and, despite being a fairly easy and straightforward machine to use, [Employee] has serious trouble.

We pack up and go back to base. We rate the tests and, as expected, [Employee] is the only one who has failed both tests spectacularly. Out of forty people, only one has failed the written test. We send the results and certificates to the company.

On Monday morning, just after we open, I get a call from the company’s Chief Operating Officer. He is one of our major contacts because training is part of his responsibilities.

COO: “Good morning, [My Name]. I’m calling about the results of the training.”

Me: “Good morning, [COO]. I had a feeling you would call.”

COO: “Can you tell me why my Assistant COO failed?”

Me: “Is [Employee] your assistant?”

COO: “Yes.”

Me: “Well, she said she had very important work to do and already had a certificate, and she signed the waiver.”

COO: “Of course she did.”

I can hear the frustration in his voice.

COO: “Can we arrange a quick training for today? I want you to do it.”

Me: “Let me check. It has to be a late one; otherwise, tomorrow at 10:00.”

[COO] thinks for a moment.

COO: “Tomorrow, then. See you at the office.”

The next day rolls up, and at 10:00 sharp, I’m at the offices. I’m led to a conference room and told to wait. A few minutes later, [COO] and [Employee] step into the room. [Employee] looks chastised. She sits across from me while [COO] stands. [COO] asks me for the waiver, which I hand to him. He takes a look at it and gives it back.

COO: “As I explained when you were hired, you had to pass this training. The expiration of the certificate you gave us was coming up, and you came from a different field. Now, do the training properly and pass it. It is one of the prerequisites for the job.”

[Employee] took the training properly this time and passed. Since then, she has never complained about First Aid training again.