Dudley scaffolding boss saves life of Willenhall father-of-eight at work

The boss of a Black Country scaffolding firm has been hailed a hero after saving the life of a father-of-eight using emergency first-aid skills he learned on a workplace training course.

Nathan Huband, managing director of Ascent Access Scaffolding, gave vital resuscitation treatment to scaffolder Raj Soni while waiting for an ambulance to arrive at the company’s former yard in Netherton, Dudley.

Mr Huband used techniques he had learned on a St John Ambulance workplace training scheme.

He is now sharing his life-saving story to encourage more people to learn vital first aid skills.

Mr Huband had not long arrived at the firm’s former yard in Saltwells Road on March 23 when Mr Soni, a scaffolder who he has worked with for more than 20 years, collapsed.

Mr Huband, a 51-year-old grandfather-of-three from Quarry Bank, said the outcome could have been very different if his illness had come just a few minutes later.

He said: “Just before he collapsed, Raj was about to drive a truck, and the outcome could have been very different had he been behind the wheel when he was taken ill.

“Or it could have happened when he was on the scaffolding and would have fallen from a height.

“I ran out to find Raj lying on the floor in our yard and, at first, it looked like he was having a seizure.

“At that point he was still conscious, so I put him in the recovery position.

“All the lads were standing around in disbelief. Then Raj made a kind of snoring sound before I realised he wasn’t breathing.”

A member of staff called an ambulance, and put the call on loudspeaker.

The operator told Mr Huband to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“Raj’s son Harvey, who also works for us, came into the yard at the time and I told people to take him inside,” he said.

“I was giving chest compressions for around six or seven minutes before the ambulance arrived.

“The paramedics told me to carry on while they set up their equipment, including a mechanical CPR machine.

“They then used a defibrillator and after four or five shocks they got Raj’s heart going again. The paramedics are the real heroes.

“They were working on him for about 40 minutes before he was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.”

Mr Soni, who is 52, was in hospital for over a week and had a stent fitted. He had also suffered a stroke and a heart attack and was in an induced coma for two days.

He is still off work and recovering at his Willenhall home.

Mr Soni recently visited the firm’s yard new base in Lye to thank his boss for helping to save his life.

He said: “I don’t remember anything about that day but thankfully I’m making a good recovery, and I owe it all to Nathan.

“What he did was amazing, he’s a real hero.

“If it wasn’t for him, I may not have made it. What he did took great courage and just shows how vital first aid is.”

He said that in the wake of the incident, his son Harvey, who worked alongside him as a labourer, decided to take up first aid training himself, and said a lot of his other workmates were interested too.

Mr Huband, who updated his training with a two-day refresher course at St John Ambulance’s Dudley base in February, added: “Two or three days after coming out of hospital, Raj phoned me to thank me for what I had done.

“The incident really affected everyone at the yard. We had to send some of the lads home, and it took a couple of days for everything to sink in. We have all known each other for years, we are all friends, and it did shake them up.

“I managed to remain calm, and from somewhere, at the back of my brain, the training came flooding back. I can’t express how important these first aid courses are.

“I never thought this moment would come but when I needed to act, I didn’t panic and the training kicked in.”

St John Ambulance has just made major changes to its workplace first-aid courses, with a focus on practical experience, realistic workplace scenarios, and learning that gradually builds throughout the course, so learners develop lasting skills and the confidence to apply them in real-life situations.

Lisa Sharman, head of education and commercial training at the charity, said: “Stories like this are exactly why we’re continuing to evolve our training, using real scenarios to help more people build the confidence and competence to step forward in a real emergency.

“This isn’t just about people passing a course. It’s about people retaining knowledge, remembering critical skills, feeling confident in applying them and stepping in when it matters most.”

To sign up or for more information about St John Ambulance’s new-look First Aid at Work courses, see the website shop.sja.org.uk/s/faw2635