The case of a man who was given life saving CPR by his colleagues when he collapsed in the office has highlighted the importance of trained first aiders in the workplace.

When Mark Driver collapsed at work and went into cardiac arrest two of those who shared office space with him came to the rescue, reports the Birmingham Mail.

Debi Newbold and Tim Garner performed CPR on Mr Driver until the paramedics arrived, calling on their St John Ambulance training for the real life situation.

Only one in three of the 30,000 people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital each year are given life saving CPR with every minute without defibrillation decreasing their chances of living by ten per cent.

CPR should only be administered by those who are trained in it and if a person has stopped breathing, otherwise more harm than good may be achieved.

Mr Garner told the news provider: “We really encourage other workers and companies to get first aid training. It really was the difference between life and death for Mark on that day in June.”