If ever there was a medical emergency at work, at home or in a shared office space would you be able to provide the correct first aid and handle an emergency situation calmly and confidently? It is imperative you, your colleagues and those around you in the workplace have some first aid knowledge.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 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.
What is 'adequate and appropriate' will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. Employers should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
If you are self employed you are required to ensure you have such equipment, as may be adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, to provide first aid to yourself while at work.
You should make an assessment of the hazards and risks in your workplace and establish an appropriate level of first-aid provision. If you carry out activities involving low hazards (eg clerical work) in your own home, you would not be expected to provide first-aid equipment beyond your normal domestic needs. If your work involves driving long distances or you are continuously on the road, the assessment may identify the need to keep a personal first-aid kit in your vehicle.
Many self-employed people work on mixed premises with other self-employed or employed workers. Although you are legally responsible for your own first-aid provision, it is sensible to make joint arrangements with the other occupiers and self-employed workers on the premises. This would generally mean that one employer would take responsibility for first aid for all workers on the premises. HSE strongly recommends there is a written agreement for any such arrangement.
If your work is low-risk, such as desk-based work and you work in your own home, you don't need any first aid equipment beyond normal domestic needs.
If your work involves lots of driving, you may want to keep a first aid kit in your vehicle.
If you're self-employed and based in a co-working space (shared workspace with other self-employed or employed workers) you're legally responsible for your own first aid provision. However, you can make joint arrangements with the other occupiers. Usually, in a written agreement, one employer takes responsibility for first aid for all workers on the premises.
Sources (HSE website 15.12.21) First aid for homeworkers and co-working spaces - HSE
It is important to remember that accidents and illness can happen at any time. Provision for first aid needs must be available at all times while people are at work.
Some small workplaces with low-level hazards may need only the minimum provision for first aid. But there are circumstances and factors that will mean you need greater provision. You, as an employer, are well placed to decide the provision you need.
A first-aider is someone who has done training appropriate to the level identified in the needs assessment. This may be: first aid at work (FAW); or emergency first aid at work (EFAW); or some other first-aid training appropriate to the particular circumstances of your workplace.
There are no hard and fast rules on how many trained first aiders you should have. It depends on the nature of your work and its location.
First aiders are trained by a competent training provider in:
The main points you need to consider are:
This takes minutes to complete and will give you an accurate recommendation of the number of staff needing training and to what level. Click here to complete your risk assessment.
Use the findings of your first aid needs assessment to decide:
Keep training up to date with regular refresher courses.
Our mission:
Is to deliver accredited training and qualifications at affordable prices. We can provide these within your workplace at times to suit your needs.
We are passionate about the quality of our teaching and providing a professional, yet friendly and relaxed learning environment in which people succeed.
Our training and qualifications are not just about ticking boxes, but giving people confidence in their new-found skills so they can be used long after the course has finished.
We understand that time and money are valuable resources and you’ll want to make sure that any investment on training and qualifications is worth it.
We pride ourselves in working with business in delivering in-house training courses at times to suit you at your premises.
We’re also so proud of our 100% record of amazing feedback from the businesses and delegates we have worked with.
Sources: HSE.org
Call us to discuss delivering any of our training courses at your premises at times to suit you, or book onto one of our courses.
If ever there was a medical emergency at work, at home or in a shared office space would you be able to provide the correct first aid and handle an emergency situation calmly and confidently? It is imperative you, your colleagues and those around you in the workplace have some first aid knowledge.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 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.
What is 'adequate and appropriate' will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. Employers should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
If you are self employed you are required to ensure you have such equipment, as may be adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, to provide first aid to yourself while at work.
You should make an assessment of the hazards and risks in your workplace and establish an appropriate level of first-aid provision. If you carry out activities involving low hazards (eg clerical work) in your own home, you would not be expected to provide first-aid equipment beyond your normal domestic needs. If your work involves driving long distances or you are continuously on the road, the assessment may identify the need to keep a personal first-aid kit in your vehicle.
Many self-employed people work on mixed premises with other self-employed or employed workers. Although you are legally responsible for your own first-aid provision, it is sensible to make joint arrangements with the other occupiers and self-employed workers on the premises. This would generally mean that one employer would take responsibility for first aid for all workers on the premises. HSE strongly recommends there is a written agreement for any such arrangement.
If your work is low-risk, such as desk-based work and you work in your own home, you don't need any first aid equipment beyond normal domestic needs.
If your work involves lots of driving, you may want to keep a first aid kit in your vehicle.
If you're self-employed and based in a co-working space (shared workspace with other self-employed or employed workers) you're legally responsible for your own first aid provision. However, you can make joint arrangements with the other occupiers. Usually, in a written agreement, one employer takes responsibility for first aid for all workers on the premises.
Sources (HSE website 15.12.21) First aid for homeworkers and co-working spaces - HSE
It is important to remember that accidents and illness can happen at any time. Provision for first aid needs must be available at all times while people are at work.
Some small workplaces with low-level hazards may need only the minimum provision for first aid. But there are circumstances and factors that will mean you need greater provision. You, as an employer, are well placed to decide the provision you need.
A first-aider is someone who has done training appropriate to the level identified in the needs assessment. This may be: first aid at work (FAW); or emergency first aid at work (EFAW); or some other first-aid training appropriate to the particular circumstances of your workplace.
There are no hard and fast rules on how many trained first aiders you should have. It depends on the nature of your work and its location.
First aiders are trained by a competent training provider in:
The main points you need to consider are:
This takes minutes to complete and will give you an accurate recommendation of the number of staff needing training and to what level. Click here to complete your risk assessment.
Use the findings of your first aid needs assessment to decide:
Keep training up to date with regular refresher courses.
Our mission:
Is to deliver accredited training and qualifications at affordable prices. We can provide these within your workplace at times to suit your needs.
We are passionate about the quality of our teaching and providing a professional, yet friendly and relaxed learning environment in which people succeed.
Our training and qualifications are not just about ticking boxes, but giving people confidence in their new-found skills so they can be used long after the course has finished.
We understand that time and money are valuable resources and you’ll want to make sure that any investment on training and qualifications is worth it.
We pride ourselves in working with business in delivering in-house training courses at times to suit you at your premises.
We’re also so proud of our 100% record of amazing feedback from the businesses and delegates we have worked with.
Sources: HSE.org
Call us to discuss delivering any of our training courses at your premises at times to suit you, or book onto one of our courses.