Overview
Employers in Great Britain must provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel so employees can receive immediate attention if they are injured or become ill at work. What is adequate depends on the workplace, which means employers need to assess their first-aid needs and make provision that remains available whenever people are at work.
Northern Ireland has separate first-aid legislation under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982.
What The Regulations Require Employers To Provide
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 apply to workplaces in Great Britain, including workplaces with fewer than five employees.
The central duty is to provide equipment and facilities that are adequate and appropriate for the circumstances. Employers must also provide enough suitable people to render first aid where the circumstances require trained first-aiders.
At minimum, workplace arrangements should include a suitably stocked first-aid kit, a person appointed to take charge of first-aid arrangements and information telling employees what those arrangements are.
Provision must allow an employee who becomes injured or ill at work to receive immediate attention. The cause does not have to be work-related. Employers therefore need arrangements that address foreseeable illness as well as injuries arising from workplace hazards.
Base First-Aid Provision On A Needs Assessment
There is no single statutory number of first-aiders or identical equipment list for every workplace. The appropriate level of provision comes from the first-aid needs assessment.
Employers should consider the nature of the work, workplace hazards, workforce size, working patterns and previous accidents. The assessment should also account for absence of first-aiders or appointed persons.
Other matters may affect the decision. Travelling, remote and lone workers can require different arrangements. Distance from emergency medical services and work on shared or multi-occupied sites may also influence what is needed.
Current guidance includes physical and mental health when considering first-aid needs. Employers should decide what arrangements are appropriate for workers who may experience an acute mental health episode and whether people providing initial support need further training.
A written record of the first-aid needs assessment is not automatically required, but retaining one can show how the organisation reached its decisions.
Distinguish First-Aiders From Appointed Persons
An appointed person manages the first-aid arrangements. The role includes looking after equipment and facilities and calling the emergency services when required.
An appointed person does not need formal first-aid training. The arrangement should provide cover whenever people are at work.
A trained first-aider has a different role. Where the assessment shows first-aiders are needed, they should have suitable training, an appropriate qualification and continuing competence.
Common training levels include Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work. The level chosen should follow the hazards and needs identified by the employer. There are no fixed rules setting one number of trained first-aiders for every organisation.
Provide Equipment And Facilities That Match The Risks
First aid kit contents should follow the needs assessment. There is no mandatory statutory contents list that suits every workplace.
A low risk office may need different materials from a workplace where employees face particular hazards. Where the assessment identifies a need for extra equipment or a first-aid room, the employer should provide it.
Kits should be accessible, checked regularly and replenished after use. Items with expiry dates should be replaced when necessary.
A workplace kit does not have to comply with BS 8599 by law. Employers using a kit produced to that standard still need to confirm that its contents meet the findings of their own assessment.
Tell Employees How To Obtain First Aid
Employees need information about the arrangements made for them. They should know who the appointed persons or first-aiders are and where first-aid equipment or facilities can be found.
This information should remain accurate when personnel, locations or working patterns change. Cover also needs to account for shifts, holidays and other absences.
Common Compliance Gaps
Problems arise when employers use a standard first-aid kit and fixed staffing ratio without considering actual workplace needs. Other weaknesses include relying on one first-aider who is regularly absent, failing to account for lone or remote workers, and allowing kit contents to expire.
Confusing an appointed person with a trained first-aider can also leave the organisation without the competence identified by its assessment.
Manager Checklist
- Confirm that a current first-aid needs assessment covers each workplace and working pattern.
- Check that first-aid personnel arrangements remain adequate during holidays, shifts and absences.
- Verify that trained first-aiders have qualifications appropriate to the identified needs.
- Inspect first-aid kits for accessibility, suitable contents and expired items.
- Review provision for travelling, remote and lone workers.
- Make sure employees know how to obtain first aid and who to contact.
- Reconsider equipment, facilities and personnel when workplace circumstances change.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a legal number of first-aiders for each workplace?
No fixed number applies to every workplace. Employers should determine the level of provision through their first-aid needs assessment.
Does every workplace need a trained first-aider?
Not necessarily. Where the assessment concludes that a trained first-aider is not required, an appointed person should take charge of the first-aid arrangements.
Is there a mandatory list of items for a workplace first aid kit?
No. Kit contents should be selected according to the first aid needs assessment.
Must first aid cover illness as well as workplace injuries?
Yes. The arrangements must enable employees to receive immediate attention if they are injured or become ill at work, regardless of whether the cause is the work itself.