A CRISIS team which helps workers deal with the trauma of industrial accidents, armed attacks and car crashes has become the UK's first to get an international accreditation.

Pathways through Trauma, based in Chorley Old Road, Bolton, has contracts with firms including Group 4 Securicor, helping employees who are victims of armed raids, and bus operator First, whose drivers can be abused by passengers.

And now the company's professional crisis team, made up of psychotherapists, emergency service personnel and social workers, has been accepted into the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) register.

The firm set up its critical incident stress management team to work with companies to provide guidance to managers and assess the needs of employees affected by an incident and give them psychological help. And now it is the only such team in the country to have its quality recognised by the ICISF, a non-profit organisation based in the United States.

Former police trauma support worker Liz Royle, who set up the firm in 2004, said: "We are delighted to be able to bring an internationally accredited trauma management service to the UK.

"Dealing with trauma is a highly specialist area and, sadly, many employers are not getting it right.

"This is usually due to a lack of awareness but can lead to serious problems for both employees and the company."

Ms Royle worked on several high-profile cases in the North-west, including the murder of DC Stephen Oake in Manchester, and spent three weeks helping those affected by the July London bombings in 2005.

The firm employs four people but has a network of more than 150 practitioners who work with businesses across the country.

Operations director Trish Waring, a former trauma officer for Cheshire Constabulary, said: "We help companies identify risks and set up procedures in how they should look after staff in the aftermath of a traumatic event."

The company also offers pro-bono work in the community, such as helping people affected by multiple murders or victims of international catastrophes such as the Asian tsunami.

It recently began working with veterans of the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and is hoping to set up group support sessions with the Royal British Legion.