Is first aid training a legal requirement for employers?

First aid is the immediate medical assistance given to a person that has suffered from an accident, injury, or illness. It is often administered by an ordinary person before a medical professional arrives. 

We’ve previously written about why workplace first aid courses are important for organisations but you may be unsure about the legal requirements on first aid in the workplace. Below, our expert first aid trainers have outlined everything you need to know when it comes to the law. 

What is the legal requirement for first aid at work? 

Every employer in the UK is legally obliged to plan for the provision of first aid in the workplace. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers of all sizes, including those with less than five employees and the self-employed, to provide “adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and people to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work”. 

What classifies as “adequate” and “appropriate” will be dependent on specific workplace circumstances. 

Start with a first aid assessment 

Before you start booking employees in for first aid training courses, you must make an assessment to decide what arrangements you need to put into place. This assessment will then let you know how many employees, if any, you need to book in for that all important first aid workshop. 

Review the circumstances of your workplace, workforce and health and safety risks, considering:

• The nature of the work and the size of your company in terms of both people and location(s)
• Potential hazards in the workplace as well as any previous accidents and illnesses 
• The location of employees during working hours, bearing in mind travel needs and remote workers 
• The work patterns of your employees, as well as holiday and annual leave allowance to consider the absences of your appointed persons and trained first aiders 
• Visitors to your workplace 

There is no legal requirement to record the findings of your assessment however you may find it useful to do so to demonstrate how you made the decision of what first aid provisions you need. 

Supporting mental health in the workplace

Your first aid needs assessment may also highlight the need to have personnel trained to identify and understand the symptoms of someone experiencing a mental health issue. 

If this is the case, you should consider the ways to manage mental health in the workplace for your individual workplace, such as offering employees the opportunity to attend a mental health awareness course. 

Minimum requirements as an employer 

Your assessment should indicate the level of personnel, equipment, and facilities required for your business.  

As a minimum, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state a low-risk workplace should at least have a first-aid box, a dedicated person appointed to take care of first-aid arrangements and information for all employees about who is responsible for what. It’s important to note that it’s not a legal requirement for all employers to have a fully trained first aider, but someone must be appointed to take charge of workplace first aid. 

If your assessment identifies lots of health and safety issues, you may need to ensure your business has a suitable number of appropriately trained first aiders. HSE state “high-hazard” workplaces should have one qualified first aider for every 50 workers, but “low-hazard” places of work only need one in 100. 

First aiders 

You may need trained first aiders. This refers to individuals who have been trained in first aid who have completed a qualification by attending a first aid at work course such as an emergency first aid at work course or a generic first aid workshop. The type of course you need will be dependent on your assessment. 

Appointed individuals 

If your assessment has found that the need for a qualified first aider is not required, you must still appoint a person to take charge of the first aid arrangements. The appointed persons must look after the first aid equipment and facilities and call the emergency services when required. This appointed person is not required to have any formal training.

Equipment

You must also ensure you have a suitable first aid box or first aid kit. These kits should be easily accessible, and the appointed individuals should look after this to make sure all materials are in date and usable.  

There are no set requirements for the contents of this kit, but examples of items it should contain include:

• A leaflet giving general first aid information
• Cleansing wipes 
• Mouth shield 
• Plasters of assorted sizes 
• Disposable gloves 
• Sterile triangular bandages, medium and large wound dressings, and eye pads
• Safety pins 
• Foil blankets 

Further information can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website. 

Facilities

For larger premises or workplaces where higher hazards are present, you may also need to provide a suitable first aid room.  

This room should be easily accessible, and if possible, reserved exclusively for the purpose of first aid. It should be large enough to hold an examination couch, have washable surfaces and adequate heating, ventilation, and lighting. It’s essential the room is kept clean, and it should be well positioned close to a point of access for easy transportation to medical professionals if needed. 

Legal requirements following an injury, accident, or illness 

Under health and safety law, you must report and keep a record of certain injuries, incidents, and illnesses. This will also allow you to identify patterns in accidents and injuries. 

First aid courses and first aid trainers

We are a leading provider of first aid training courses with training locations across the country. We offer blended first aid at work courses and face to face first aid at work sessions, meaning you can rest assured knowing your legal requirements for first aid in the workplace are covered. 

Want to find out more? Call us on 01543 711150 or email hello@busybees.com to discuss our workplace first aid at work courses.