St John Ambulance’s services has launched a national campaign urging businesses to better prepare their workforce to respond to traumatic injuries in the workplace – from accidents to knife crime, terrorist attacks and mass casualty incidents.

The need for holistic responses to traumatic injuries has reportedly risen sharply over recent years, with more than 50,000 offences involving knives in England and Wales recorded in 2024, a 4% rise from the previous year.

According to the report, more than 600,000 employees in Britain were victims of traumatic injuries at work last year.

St John Ambulance’s new trauma response campaign urges organisations across England to stay compliant with evolving healthcare and safety standards, including preparing for Martyn’s Law – upcoming legislation that requires certain venues and workplaces to have robust counter-terror training and response plans in place.

In tandem, St John Ambulance’s research shows that when it comes to first aid for traumatic injuries, only four in ten people know how to treat a severe bleed or do CPR and less than half know how to give basic back blows to a person choking.

“Relevant for all organisations”

Lisa Sharman, Head of Education and Commercial Training, St John Ambulance said: “Our findings – and the occurrence of tragedies like the one just experienced in Liverpool – underly the urgency of our campaign.

“We are urging organisations to step up their staff training for response to major traumatic incidents.

“This is relevant for all organisations across all sectors – they must be better prepared for the unexpected and step up their approach to emergency response in the workplace.

“A holistic approach that equips colleagues with the skills to respond to physical needs in the moment is crucial, but also mental health needs in the aftermath.

“From being caught in a mass casualty event to falling through a window, traumatic incidents do happen – and employers have a duty to ensure their teams are trained and equipped to respond.

“Practical, hands-on courses can help overcome this.

“Comprehensive training creates a trauma-informed workplace, equipping people with the ability and knowledge needed to deal with first aid emergencies in most workplaces.”

“Preparedness makes all the difference”

St John Ambulance’s specialist courses, including First Responder on Scene and First Response Emergency Care Level 3, both equip workers to be able to operate as emergency responders when traumatic injuries occur such as catastrophic bleeding and neck and spinal injuries.

The St John Ambulance research found that more than a quarter of people in England have experienced a cardiac arrest incident and nearly three in ten have experienced a severe bleeding incident either as a first aider, bystander or patient.

The statistics have long shown that people with advanced training in traumatic incidents are more likely to step forward in the case of a traumatic injury.

Sharman continued: “Being trained and equipped saves lives. A key factor that determines how likely people are to act in these kinds of emergencies is training.

“When emergencies happen – and they will – preparedness makes all the difference,” finalised Sharman.

Specialist training in traumatic injuries

St John Ambulance Workplace First Aid Training Courses range from First Aid and Emergency First Aid at Work, to specialist training on defibrillators, paediatric first aid, annual refreshers and more.

The organisation’s Mental Health First Aid Training Courses range from Mental Health Awareness to Manager training, e-learning modules, Workplace First Aider and Workplace First Responder courses, helping workers to spot the signs and respond to the needs of a person experiencing a mental health issue.