Does Your Business Have the Right First Aid Provision?
A first aid box is important. But on its own, it is not a first aid plan.
If somebody is injured or becomes suddenly ill at work, the real test of your arrangements is what happens next. Who takes charge? Who calls the emergency services if they are needed? Is there someone with the right level of first-aid training for the risks in your workplace? And what happens when that person is on holiday or absent?
For UK employers, these are not simply good-practice questions. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel so employees can receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.
START WITH A FIRST-AID NEEDS ASSESSMENT
There is no single first-aid arrangement that suits every business. HSE guidance says employers should assess their first-aid needs and use the findings to decide what provision is adequate and appropriate for their circumstances.
The assessment should consider factors including:
- The type of work you do
- Workplace hazards and the risks they create
- The size of your workforce
- Staff working patterns
- Holidays and other absences of first aiders and appointed persons
- Your organisation’s accident history
It may also be appropriate to consider travelling, lone or remote workers, how close your workplace is to emergency medical services, shared sites and provision for non-employees such as customers or visitors.
THE MINIMUM IS MORE THAN A BOX
HSE states that, as a minimum, employers must have:
- A suitably stocked first-aid kit
- An appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements
- Information for employees about those arrangements
Where the needs assessment identifies workplace or workforce issues or more significant risks, appropriately trained first aiders may also be required, together with any additional equipment or facilities identified by the assessment.
An appointed person and a trained first aider are not the same thing. An appointed person can take charge of arrangements, look after equipment and facilities, and call the emergency services when required. They do not need formal first-aid training simply to fulfil that appointed-person role, and they should not attempt first aid for which they have not been trained.
EFAW OR FAW – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Two common workplace qualifications are Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and First Aid at Work (FAW).
HSE describes EFAW as training that qualifies someone to give emergency first aid to a person who is injured or becomes ill at work. FAW includes that emergency level and also prepares the first aider to deal with a wider range of specific injuries and illnesses.
Which level is appropriate, and how many people should be trained, should come from your first-aid needs assessment. For ordinary workplaces there is no universal rule that simply says a particular number of employees always requires a particular number of first aiders.
DON’T FORGET COVER
A certificate on the wall does not help if the only trained person is unavailable.
HSE specifically tells employers to consider work patterns and holidays or other absences when assessing first-aid needs. Businesses with shifts, multiple work areas, lone workers or staff who travel may need arrangements that look different from those of a small office where everyone works the same hours.
The useful question is not just “Do we have a first aider?” It is “Do our arrangements remain adequate whenever our people are at work?”
TRAINING FOR WHEN IT BECOMES REAL
First-aid training is about more than obtaining a certificate. In the moment when a colleague collapses, is injured or becomes seriously unwell, people need the confidence to assess what is happening, summon appropriate help and provide first aid within their training.
Safe Skills Training delivers practical workplace first-aid training designed to build that confidence. If you are reviewing your organisation’s first-aid provision, we can help you consider the training element identified by your needs assessment and choose an appropriate course for your team.
To discuss Emergency First Aid at Work or other workplace first-aid training, visit https://www.safeskillstraining.com.
Sources checked 5 August 2026: Health and Safety Executive guidance on first aid at work, first-aid needs assessment, first aiders and training, and the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.