The law on first aid at work is shorter than most employers expect, but it does apply to every single business in the UK, whatever your headcount.
The Quick Answer
- The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require adequate equipment, facilities and personnel from every employer.
- There is no staff number below which the duty disappears.
- A written first aid needs assessment decides how many first aiders you need, not a fixed ratio.
- EFAW covers lower-risk workplaces; the fuller FAW course suits higher-risk sites.
- EFAW runs one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, with a three-year certificate.
- Annual refresher training between certificates is recommended to keep skills current.
Rebecca Sullivan leads an in-house training team with over 50 years of combined experience, delivering FAIB accredited first aid courses at your own premises. Whether you need first aid at work or first aid at work in Milton Keynes, we cover the whole area.
Call Rebecca on 07771 680794 to talk through your needs assessment and book the right course for your staff.
What are the legal requirements for first aid at work in the UK?
Every UK employer must provide adequate first aid equipment, facilities and people, so anyone injured or taken ill at work gets immediate help. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets this out in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. What counts as adequate comes from your own first aid needs assessment, not a fixed headcount.
Ring Aim2Aid First Aid and Fire Safety Training on 07771 680794 and we will tell you which qualification your needs assessment points to before you spend a penny.
The duty on every employer, whatever the size of the business
There is no minimum staff number below which the law stops applying. A sole trader with no employees still has to look after themselves; the moment you take on staff, the duty to provide first aid for your workplace kicks in. Small, low-hazard offices may only need an appointed person and a stocked kit. Higher-risk sites need trained first aiders, and enough of them to cover shifts, holidays and absence.
The three parts of the duty are equipment, information and people. Equipment means a suitably stocked first aid kit, checked and restocked. Information means telling staff who the first aiders are and where the kit lives, usually on a notice near it. People means either an appointed person or qualified first aiders, depending on what your assessment says. Whether you need first aid at work or first aid at work services Reading, we cover the whole area and train your team on your own premises.
- Equipment: a stocked kit, plus any extras your risks call for.
- Information: clear signage and a briefing for new starters.
- People: appointed persons, first aiders, or both.
- Records: certificates on file and an accident book kept up to date.
How the first aid needs assessment decides your numbers
The law asks you to think, not to copy a table. Your assessment looks at what you do, what could go wrong, how many people are on site, how spread out they are, how far you are from emergency help, and whether you have lone workers, shift patterns, young workers or members of the public on the premises. A warehouse with forklifts and a quiet accounts office reach very different answers.
Write it down and date it. If a Health and Safety inspector or your insurer asks why you have two first aiders rather than five, the assessment is your answer. Redo it when you move site, change process, take on a lot of staff or have a near miss that shows a gap. Whether you need first aid at work or first aid at work in Windsor, we cover the whole area and can talk your assessment through with you before you book anything.
Which qualification satisfies the duty, and how long it lasts
Two qualifications do most of the work. Emergency First Aid at Work, or EFAW, suits lower-risk workplaces and runs as one day, about six hours, for up to 12 delegates, with a certificate valid for three years. First Aid at Work, the fuller FAW course, is the choice for higher-risk sites and for first aiders who need to handle a wider range of injuries and illnesses. Both can be delivered blended: the practical assessment at your venue plus the theory completed online beforehand, with the same duration and compliance standing behind the certificate.
Our first aid courses are accredited by FAIB, and our mental health courses are accredited by FAA, so you are not left guessing which body sits behind the paperwork. Rebecca Sullivan leads a team of in-house trainers, never outsourced, with over 50 years of combined experience between them. Our EFAW course includes paediatric content at no extra cost, which matters if your staff have children on site or run family-facing services. You can see the full picture of our first aid at work services and pick the level that matches your assessment.
Keeping first aid provision compliant after the certificates are signed
Compliance is not a one-off. Certificates last three years, and HSE recommends annual refresher training in between so skills do not fade. Diarise the expiry dates now, because a lapsed certificate leaves you short on the day it matters. Check kits monthly, replace anything used or out of date, and update your signage when a first aider leaves.
Searching for first aid training near you and want it done without shutting the business down for two days? We train at your premises across Berkshire and surrounding areas, which means no travel costs for your staff and no unfamiliar room to settle into. Aim2Aid Ltd is a registered company, number 16319053, and you can read what customers say through the reviews widget on the site rather than taking our word for it.
Get the assessment written, get the right course booked, and keep the dates in the diary. That is the whole of the legal duty, in order.
Ring Aim2Aid First Aid and Fire Safety Training on 07771 680794 and we will tell you which qualification your needs assessment points to before you spend a penny.