How Many First Aiders Do I Need?

First Aid Assessment Requirements Explained by Bristol’s Acorn Safety

“How many first aiders do I need?”, “Do my first aiders need the one day course or the three-day course?” or “How many first aid kits do I need?” are concerns of, and the questions we are often asked, by employers, and HR professionals. Bristol based Acorn Safety can provide the answers for your business or place of work.

However, there is not a definitive answer to this because it depends on the nature of your business and the risks involved.

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.

Every business and workplace are different, and what is adequate and appropriate for a similar business to your could woefully fall short of appropriate for your business. Therefore you, as the employer, have to determine what is adequate and appropriate for your business.

There are also many forgotten or overlooked areas of a businesses activity that should be included in any assessment, such as mobile workers. Although the first aid Regulations do not place a legal duty on employers to make first aid provision for non-employees, such as the general public, the HSE “strongly recommends” that they are taken into consideration when making an assessment and planning first aid provisions.

This open interpretation of “adequate provision” coupled with a strong enforcement policy by the HSE where they deem “poor compliance with the law” can be a headache for business owners and employers.

As qualified and experienced health and safety professionals, we can remove a lot of that burden and make managing health and safety in your business ‘Hassle Free’, including carrying out the first aids needs assessment. For more information please telephone 0117 958 2070