First aid
First aid means treatment to preserve life and minimise the consequences of injury and illness until medical aid is obtained, and treatment of minor injuries which would otherwise receive no treatment or which do not require medical aid.
Duty of the employer (r3)
An employer shall provide:
- adequate and appropriate facilities for first aid
- a number of first aiders, being persons qualified to render first aid by having received the prescribed training (no ratios are quoted in the Regs but the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) requires at least one first aider during normal working hours for every 50 employees), or
- an appointed person, being someone to take charge of situations (including first aid equipment and facilities) where medical aid needs to be summoned, shall suffice where:
- by the nature of the work there are no specific serious hazards (e.g. offices, libraries), the workforce is small, or the location makes further provision unnecessary (e.g. joint welfare arrangements)
- there is a temporary or exceptional absence of the first aider (foreseeable absence such as annual leave does not count; in this instance) cover by another first aider must be provided.
Hence, by definition, there must always be at least an appointed person in any workplace.
First aid rooms shall be easily accessible to stretchers and to other equipment needed to convey patients to and from the room, and be signposted (to comply with the Health And Safety (Safety Signs And Signals) Regulations 1996(r4) (see A19).
Employers should make an assessment of first aid needs appropriate to the circumstances of each workplace
Information for employees (r4)
Employees shall be informed of the arrangements for first aid.
Self-employed (r5)
The self-employed shall provide such facilities to render first aid to themselves as are appropriate in the circumstances.
The Health And Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981(No 917), The Stationery Office.
The Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 / 2174)
Related information: see HSE’s ‘L’ and ‘HS (G)’ series including the following key HSE reference, available from HSE Books.
L74 First aid at work. Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. Approved code of practice and guidance (ISBN 0 7176 1050 0) 1997.
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