---
title: "What qualifications do you need to be a first aider at work?"
description: "What qualifications do you need to be a first aider at work? EFAW and FAW explained: syllabus, three-year certificates, refreshers and how your needs assessment decides."
url: https://www.aim2aid.co.uk/resources/what-qualifications-do-you-need-to-be-a-first-aider-at-work/
---

First Aid at Work

# What qualifications do you need to be a first aider at work?

Rebecca Sullivan and the in-house team at Aim2Aid First Aid and Fire Safety Training deliver workplace first aid qualifications at your own premises across Berkshire and surrounding areas. Call Rebecca on 07771 680794 to discuss your needs assessment.

[Call 07771 680794](tel:07771680794)

The qualification you need to be a first aider at work is not a matter of opinion, it is set by your employer's first aid needs assessment and evidenced by a current, in-date certificate.

**The Short Version**

- Two recognised qualifications cover workplace first aid: Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and the fuller First Aid at Work (FAW).
- The needs assessment, not the job title, decides which qualification and how many first aiders your workplace requires.
- EFAW runs one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, with a three-year certificate.
- Annual refresher training is recommended between certificates and does not extend the three-year expiry.
- Blended delivery combines online theory with practical assessment at your venue and holds the same compliance standing.
- FAIB accredits our first aid courses, and our EFAW includes paediatric content at no extra cost.

Aim2Aid's trainers are in-house and never outsourced, led by Rebecca Sullivan, with over 50 years of combined experience between them. Whether you need first aid at work or [first aid at work in Milton Keynes](https://www.aim2aid.co.uk/resources/first-aid-at-work-milton-keynes/), we cover the whole area.

Call 07771 680794 to talk through which qualification your staff need.

## What qualifications do you need to be a first aider at work?

To act as a first aider at work you need a current certificate from a recognised first aid at work course, either the three day First Aid at Work qualification or the one day Emergency First Aid at Work qualification, chosen on the basis of your employer's first aid needs assessment. Certificates last three years.

**Tell Aim2Aid First Aid and Fire Safety Training how many staff you need certificated and on what shifts, and Rebecca will confirm whether EFAW or FAW fits your workplace.**

[Call Now: 07771 680794](tel:07771680794)

## The needs assessment decides which qualification your workplace requires

There is no single qualification that every workplace must hold. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 place the duty on the employer to assess the hazards, the number of people on site, shift patterns, lone working, the spread of the premises and the distance from emergency services, then provide first aid cover that matches. The qualification follows from that assessment, not the other way round.

In broad terms, a low hazard workplace with a small headcount is usually served by an appointed person or by staff holding **Emergency First Aid at Work** (EFAW). A higher hazard environment, or a larger site, points to the full **First Aid at Work** (FAW) qualification, which covers a wider syllabus including fractures, spinal injury, chest injuries, poisoning, eye injuries and the management of an incident with multiple casualties. Many employers hold a mix: EFAW across the wider team for breadth of cover, FAW for the named first aiders.

The assessment is also what dictates numbers. One certificate on the wall is rarely enough if that person works part time, takes leave or is the only trained member of staff across two floors. Whether you need first aid at work or [first aid at work services Reading](https://www.aim2aid.co.uk/resources/first-aid-at-work-reading/), we cover the whole area, and the first thing we do is talk through how many certificates your rota actually needs rather than the minimum you could defend.

## What each certificate covers and how long it lasts

Both qualifications are competency based, which means assessment happens continuously through the course rather than by written exam alone. Delegates are assessed on primary survey, CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator, unresponsive casualty management, choking, seizures, shock, bleeding control and the recording and reporting of incidents.

- **Emergency First Aid at Work:** one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, three-year certificate.
- **First Aid at Work:** the wider syllabus for higher hazard and larger workplaces, also carrying a three-year certificate.
- Both certificates are accredited through FAIB, the accrediting body for our first aid courses.
- Our EFAW course includes paediatric content at no extra cost, which matters if your workplace has children on the premises.

The three-year expiry is a hard date. On the day after it, that person is no longer a qualified first aider for the purposes of your first aid arrangements, and if an incident occurred your paperwork would show a gap. Requalification means sitting the course again, so the practical approach is to diary the renewal a couple of months ahead and book while the certificate still runs.

Whether you need first aid at work or [first aid at work in Windsor](https://www.aim2aid.co.uk/resources/first-aid-at-work-windsor/), we cover the whole area, and we will keep the expiry dates for your staff visible so a renewal never arrives as a surprise.

## Annual refresher training and keeping skills current

Between certificates, the [Health and Safety Executive](https://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/first-aid-training.htm) (HSE) recommends annual refresher training, usually a short session, to keep chest compression technique, defibrillator confidence and casualty handling sharp. It is not a certificate in its own right and it does not extend the three-year expiry, but it is strongly expected of a competent employer and it is the difference between a first aider who has read the manual and one who acts without hesitating.

Refreshers are also where workplace-specific risk gets rehearsed. A warehouse team practises crush and bleeding scenarios. An office team practises cardiac arrest and choking in a confined meeting room. A care setting practises handover to the ambulance service. This is why we deliver at your premises: the layout, the kit bag, the defibrillator cabinet and the route the paramedics will take are all part of the training rather than a hypothetical.

Our [first aid at work services](https://www.aim2aid.co.uk/first-aid-training/first-aid-at-work/) are delivered by in-house trainers only, never outsourced, with Rebecca Sullivan leading the team. Between them they hold over 50 years of combined experience across industry, care, education and emergency response, and that experience is what turns a syllabus into scenarios your staff recognise.

## Choosing between classroom and blended delivery for your staff

Both qualifications can be delivered fully in the classroom or as a blended course, with the theory completed online in the delegate's own time and the practical assessment carried out at your workplace. For EFAW that still means one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates and a three-year certificate: blended delivery changes how the theory is consumed, not the compliance standing of the certificate.

Blended works well for shift-based teams, multi-site operations and businesses that cannot release twelve people for a full day at once. Fully classroom delivery works well where staff prefer to learn together, where literacy or language support is needed, or where the employer wants the whole team in one room building a shared response. Either route is a genuine qualification and either satisfies your first aid arrangements.

A few practical points worth settling before you book for your workplace:

- Confirm your needs assessment first, so you book EFAW or FAW deliberately rather than by habit.
- Cover the rota, not the headcount: holidays, nights and lone working all create gaps.
- Keep certificates, refresher records and your assessment together, because an inspector will ask for all three.
- Book renewals before expiry rather than after, so cover is continuous.

Aim2Aid Ltd, company number 16319053, trains at your own premises across Berkshire and surrounding areas, so your team qualifies in the building where they will actually be called on. Rebecca will talk through the assessment, the numbers and the delivery format for your business before anything is booked, and you can see what other employers say through the reviews widget on the site.

**Tell Aim2Aid First Aid and Fire Safety Training how many staff you need certificated and on what shifts, and Rebecca will confirm whether EFAW or FAW fits your workplace.**

[Call Now: 07771 680794](tel:07771680794)