22282VIC Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies in the Workplace has been accredited from 1 January 2015.  As of 10 October 2014, there are no registered training organisations approved to deliver the course.  You can read more about the course on the training.gov.au.

This course is equivalent to and will replace 22024VIC Course in the emergency management of asthma in the workplace.

This does not mean that your qualification in 22024VIC will expire (technically, it will never expire as no regulator has ever set an expiry date on the course).  However, some employers may not recognise it as being current.  We suggest that you check with your employer or ACECQA closer to the new year.

A number of our clients work in the child in care industry and require VET accredited training in first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis.  One of the most common questions that we are asked is "what course should I do to work in childcare?"

Our answer is to refer to the regulator of quality training for childcare workers in Australia - the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).  They have a page on their website that enables people to check which first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis course codes they need as a minimum to satisfy the requirements of ACECQA.

You can click here to search the range of qualifications recognised by ACECQA.

For example, if you search for a single course that delivers training in the three subjects of first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis, you would see that there are only two:

• HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting, and
  
• HLTAID006 Provide advanced first aid.
  

We're coming into Spring in Sydney and everything is starting to grow.  People are spending more time outdoors, probably gardening, and going into the realm of insects and spiders.  Naturally, they will want to protect their patch.

There's only one spider in Sydney that you really need to worry about - the Funnel Web.  Their bites are the only ones that have been known to cause a death.

The symptoms of a bite from a Funnel Web are the following:

• Pain, but not much inflammation at the site
  
• Profuse sweating
• Tingling sensation around the mouth
• Production of a lot of saliva
• Abdominal pain
• Twitching
• Difficulty breathing
• Confusion before unconsciousness

The first aid units HLTAID001 through to HLTAID007 have recently been reviewed by a First Aid Subject Matter Expert Group. The consultation period for industry and the public on the draft Units has just concluded.

Pending feedback, the next release of these units will be a Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (CS&HISC) upgrade, resulting in no change to code or title of the units as they will be deemed equivalent.

The release of the revised versions of HLTAID001 through to HLTAID007 is expected in late October 2014.