You’ve got a first aid kit in the staff kitchen and someone who did a course a couple of years ago. Is that real cover, or just a box ticked until something goes wrong?
Every UK employer has a legal duty to provide first aid cover. But “adequate” means different things for different businesses – it depends on your workplace, your workforce and the risks you’re managing.
This article covers what employers need to put in place for workplace first aid training. It looks at how many trained first aiders your workplace is likely to need, and the difference between the two common levels of first aid training. It also flags where the gaps in your current cover are most likely to show up.
What the law requires from every employer
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 place a clear duty on employers. You must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and personnel, so anyone injured or taken ill at work gets immediate help.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) doesn’t set one blanket rule for every business. Instead, you’re expected to carry out a first aid needs assessment and provide cover that matches what you find.
At a minimum, employers need appropriate first aid equipment, someone to take charge of first aid arrangements and clear information for staff. Where the needs assessment finds that a trained first aider isn’t necessary, this role can be filled by an appointed person. An appointed person doesn’t need formal first aid training; their role includes looking after first aid equipment and facilities and calling the emergency services when required.
Getting this wrong isn’t just a compliance headache. If your provision falls short when an incident happens, you’re exposed to HSE enforcement action. Worse, someone might not get help fast enough.
In 2024/25, an estimated 680,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury at work in Great Britain. In the same year, employers reported 59,219 non-fatal employee injuries under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
EFAW or FAW – which one does your team need?
Two common levels within HSE’s workplace first aid framework are Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and First Aid at Work (FAW). Your needs assessment should help you decide what level of training is appropriate.
- Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is a one-day course covering core emergency skills, including resuscitation and managing an unconscious casualty.
- First Aid at Work (FAW) is a three-day course. It includes everything in EFAW, plus training for a wider range of injuries and illnesses.
Which level applies to you comes down to your needs assessment, not personal preference. Higher-hazard workplaces, or those with larger teams, are more likely to need FAW-trained staff rather than EFAW alone.
Certificates last three years. HSE recommends annual refresher training in between, to keep skills up to date.
How many first aiders do you need?
There’s no single ratio that applies to every business. HSE publishes suggested numbers based on your hazard level and headcount, but your own needs assessment should be the deciding factor.
- Low-hazard workplaces, such as offices, shops or libraries, should have at least one appointed person where there are fewer than 25 employees.
- Between 25 and 50 employees in a low-hazard workplace, HSE suggests at least one first aider trained in EFAW.
- Above 50 employees in a low-hazard workplace, HSE suggests one FAW first aider for every 100 staff, or part thereof.
- Higher-hazard workplaces, such as warehouses, food processing sites or construction sites, should have an appointed person where there are fewer than five employees.
- Between five and 50 employees in a higher-hazard workplace, HSE suggests at least one EFAW or FAW first aider, matched to your likely injuries.
- Above 50 employees in a higher-hazard workplace, HSE suggests one FAW first aider for every 50 staff, or part thereof.
These are HSE’s guide numbers, set out in its first aid needs assessment guidance. Shift patterns, multiple buildings and holiday cover can all mean you need more trained people than the list above suggests.
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Running a first aid needs assessment properly
A needs assessment isn’t a box-ticking exercise. HSE guidance points to several factors worth working through properly.
- Hazards and work activities: identify what could realistically go wrong, from minor cuts to serious injuries.
- Workforce size and health: factor in disabilities, health conditions and inexperienced or young workers.
- Shift patterns and remote working: make sure cover exists whenever people are working, not just during office hours.
- Multiple sites or floors: spread trained first aiders across buildings so help is always close by.
- Absence cover: plan for holidays, sickness and turnover so your numbers never dip below what you need.
- Distance from emergency services: consider whether you need extra provision if help is a long way off.
There’s no legal duty to provide first aid for visitors or the public, but HSE strongly recommends including them in your assessment.
HSE’s guidance also encourages employers to consider employees’ mental health when assessing first aid needs. It’s a reminder that a needs assessment should reflect your workplace as it is now, not as it was when you last reviewed it.
Write your assessment down, even though the regulations don’t insist on it. It’s your best evidence that you’ve thought it through if anything’s ever questioned. The stakes are real: work-related illness and workplace injury together accounted for 40.1 million lost working days in Great Britain in 2024/25, according to HSE.
Where to go from here
A first aid needs assessment doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be current. If yours predates a significant change in headcount, layout, working pattern or workplace risks, review it to make sure your provision is still adequate and appropriate.
Ask yourself this: if HSE turned up tomorrow, could you show them a needs assessment that matches your workplace as it stands today?
This article provides general information about workplace first aid and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Businesses should seek appropriate legal or compliance advice about how the requirements apply to their individual circumstances.
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