First Aid at Work Course

A first aid at work certificate is valid for three years and entitles the holder to act as a workplace first aider during that time. Once the certificate expires, the individual is no longer qualified to perform this role, and the employer may be in breach of their duty to provide adequate first aid provision in accordance with their risk assessment.

Despite the three-year validity period, studies show that first aid skills can deteriorate in as little as six months, a phenomenon known as "skills fade." As a result, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strongly advises first responders to take an annual refresher course to maintain their proficiency.

The first aid at work course is intended for employers who work in high-risk environments or for larger organisations with a lower level of hazard, as determined by their risk assessment.

The emergency first aid at work course covers a narrower range of first aid techniques than the first aid at work course. Employers should provide their first aiders with the first aid at work course if the risk assessment identifies that employees are at risk of specific injuries or conditions such as fractures, burns, or anaphylactic shock.

To become a certified first aider, you must complete a first aid at work or an emergency first aid at work course, which includes both theoretical and practical assessments. If a person's first aid certificate is about to expire, they can renew it by taking a requalification course.

To work as a first aider in the workplace, one must demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skills to manage a wide range of first aid incidents. Individuals who fail to demonstrate competence in a first aid at work course will not be certified.

A certificate for first aid at work or emergency first aid at work is valid for three years. Before the certificate expires, the first aider must attend a requalification course or redo the emergency first aid at work. However, because "skills fade," it is recommended that first responders refresh their knowledge and skills on an annual basis.

There is no single ratio that applies to every workplace. Base the number and level of trained first aiders on your first aid needs assessment, including workplace hazards, workforce size, working patterns, site layout, lone working and cover for absences. Read HSE guidance on first aiders and training.

An appointed person is in charge of managing the first aid arrangements, which includes maintaining first aid equipment and calling emergency services in the event of an incident. They are not, however, trained to provide first aid and are only suitable for low-risk workplaces with a small workforce.

A first aider, on the other hand, is trained and assessed to provide first aid in the event of an incident.

In the UK, employers are not legally required to pay their employees more for being a first aider. However, it is common for employers to offer additional pay or benefits to employees who undertake the role of a first aider. This may include paying for the training required to become a first aider, providing additional paid time off to attend training or carry out first aid duties, or offering a bonus or salary increase for taking on the additional responsibility.

Employers have a duty of care to their employees and must provide adequate first aid provisions in the workplace. This includes ensuring that there are enough trained first aiders available to provide immediate assistance in the event of an accident or injury.

If you are unsure whether your employer offers any additional pay or benefits for being a first aider, you should speak to your HR department or line manager for further information.

This course leads to an FAIB-accredited First Aid at Work certificate. It is not advertised as a regulated Level 3 RQF qualification. If your employer or contract specifically requires a regulated Level 3 award, check that requirement with us before booking.

You must meet the course’s assessment requirements to receive a certificate. If you do not meet them, speak with your trainer or our team about the next steps. Contact us before booking if you need learning support or want to ask about reassessment arrangements.

In the UK, the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) is a government agency that oversees the regulation and enforcement of health, safety, and welfare in the workplace. One of those regulations is The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

The regulations are better known as the ‘First Aid at Work Legislation’. In a nutshell, the legislation details how employers have a legal obligation to ensure the immediate care of employees that get injured or become ill while they’re at work.

HSE places the onus for duty of care on the employer and requires workplaces to provide first aid care to sick and injured personnel. However, what confuses many employers is the regulations don’t stipulate what the requirements for each unique working environment are.

To that end, the employer must work out for themselves which first aid provisions they must put in place for the safety and welfare of staff. This page describes more about the First Aid at Work Legislation and what you as an employer must do.

As an employer, you want to ensure your staff is safe while providing services for you. To that end, you’ll no doubt be wondering how to comply with the legislation?

First of all, you need to do a thorough risk assessment across each of your sites. A risk assessment identifies how likely employees are to injure themselves during their work.

Next, you’ll need to provide at least one first aid kit to treat sick or injured staff. The legislation doesn’t specify what you should have in the kit. But, it does state the contents should treat likely injuries or illnesses sustained from the causes in your risk assessments.

Finally, you’ll need an ‘appointed person’ that is in charge of provisioning first aid care and treatment, even if your business or organisation doesn’t need a specific first-aider.

When it comes to determining your first aid kit and appointed person needs, you must take the following into account:

How many employees work at each of your sites;

Pre-existing conditions and illnesses that your employees have;

Number of visitors to each of your premises;

Typical hazards found in any workplace, not just the ones specific to yours;

HSE’s specific guidance for your business or organisation’s industry.

HSE has published a document online that you can review to learn more about the common questions surrounding first aid at work legislation.

The legislation is part of a series of measures put in place from the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It describes the essential aspects of first aid that all employers need to adhere to, irrespective of how small or large the business, organisation, or premises is.

As you’ve no doubt gathered by now, there were no legal workplace requirements before the HSE’s first aid regulations in 1981. Workplace injuries and illnesses are sadly commonplace, and according to HSE’s own compiled statistics for 2018 to 2019:

581,000 people sustained an injury at work;

1.4 million people experience work-related illnesses;

2,526 workers contracted mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos.

You may assume that the legislation only deals with the types of first aid equipment needed in the workplace. But, the aim of The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 is also to manage the provision of requirements and training for first-aiders.

Definition of ‘adequate and appropriate’ in the legislation

When you read through the legislation, you’ll come across regulation 3 which states that employers must provide ‘adequate and appropriate’ first aid equipment and facilities. You’ll come across those two words frequently in the legislation. But what exactly do they mean?

As you can appreciate, each employer’s working environment is different and comes with different sets of risks. For example, office staff will have different risks in their workplace compared to builders working on construction sites.

The legislation uses the words ‘adequate and appropriate’ because it’s up to employers to carry out risk assessments of their workplaces. And once they’ve done that, they must put in place first aid measures that match those risks.