What does my employer have to do on First aid? Your employer is expected to have:

• · completed a first-aid needs assessment;
• · ensured that there is either an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements or, if necessary, there are appropriate numbers of suitably trained first-aiders;
• · ensured their are adequate facilities and a suitable stocked first-aid box;
• · provided you with information about the first-aid arrangements.

This page has some answers to specific questions regarding employees and first aid. If you have any other queries, please refer to the frequently asked questions (FAQs) for employers, first-aiders and appointed persons or training organisations. What are the penalties for not meeting first aid at work regulations? Breaches of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 are dealt with proportionately. Enforcement action could include issuing notices or prosecuting if the circumstances warrant it.

Is annual refresher training a mandatory requirement?

No. It is strongly recommended to employers to help qualified first aiders maintain their basic skills and keep up to date with any changes in first-aid procedures. How many first-aiders do I need? The findings of your first-aid needs assessment will help you decide how many first-aiders are required. There are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers and you will need to take into account all the relevant circumstances of your particular workplace. See the table in the leaflet First aid at work assessment tool Can legal action be taken against first-aiders? It is very unlikely that any action would be taken against a first-aider using the first-aid training they have received. HSE cannot give any specific advice on this issue as it does not fall within HSE's statutory powers. It is recommended that you seek legal advice, or advice from your employer's insurance brokers on whether their policies cover first-aiders' liability. What is an appointed person? When an employer's first-aid needs assessment indicates that a first-aider is unnecessary, the minimum requirement is to appoint a person to take charge of first-aid arrangements. The roles of this appointed person include looking after the first-aid equipment and facilities and calling the emergency services when required. They can also provide emergency cover, within their role and competence, where a first-aider is absent due to unforeseen circumstances (annual leave does not count). Do appointed persons need to undertake first-aid training? To fulfil their role, appointed persons do not need first-aid training. However, emergency first-aid training courses are available. Can appointed persons perform first aid, e.g. cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)? Appointed persons are not first-aiders and should not attempt to give first aid for which they have not been trained. What training is required for using a defibrillator? First aid at work (FAW) courses do not cover the use of defibrillators. If you decide to provide a defibrillator in your workplace, it is important that those who may use it are appropriately trained. HSE does not specify the content of this training and organisations providing it do not need HSE approval. Information on training is available from the Resuscitation Council (UK) What should a first-aid box in the workplace contain? There is no mandatory list of contents for first-aid boxes and HSE does not 'approve' or endorse particular products. Deciding what to include should be based on an employer's assessment of first-aid needs. As a guide, where work activities involve low hazards, a minimum stock of first-aid items might be:

• · a leaflet giving general guidance on first aid, eg HSE's leaflet: Basic advice on first aid at work ;
• · 20 individually wrapped sterile plasters (assorted sizes), appropriate to the type of work (you can provide hypoallergenic plasters, if necessary);
• · two sterile eye pads;
• · four individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile;
• · six safety pins;
• · two large, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings;
• · six medium-sized, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings;
• · a pair of disposable gloves, see HSE's free leaflet: Latex and you .

This is only a suggested contents list. It is recommended that you don't keep tablets and medicines in the first-aid box. How often should the contents of first-aid boxes be replaced? Although there is no specified review timetable, many items, particularly sterile ones, are marked with expiry dates. They should be replaced by the dates given and expired items disposed of safely. In cases where sterile items have no dates, it would be advisable to check with the manufacturers to find out how long they can be kept. For non-sterile items without dates, it is a matter of judgement, based on whether they are fit for purpose. What first-aid equipment should be provided? Once an assessment of first-aid needs has been carried out, the findings can be used to decide what first-aid equipment should be provided in the workplace. The minimum requirement is a suitably stocked first-aid box, see FAQ 'First-aid box'. The assessment may indicate that additional materials and equipment are required such as scissors, adhesive tape, disposable aprons and individually wrapped, moist wipes. They may be put in the first-aid box or stored separately. If mains tap water is not readily available for eye irrigation, at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9%) in sealed, disposable containers should be provided. When the seal has been broken, containers should not be reused. Containers should not be used beyond their expiry date. Do I need to provide a room for first aid? You should provide a suitable first-aid room(s) where your first-aid needs assessment identifies this as necessary.

What should be kept in the first-aid room?

Typical examples of the equipment and facilities a first-aid room may contain are:

• · a sink with hot and cold running water;
• · drinking water and disposable cups;
• · soap and paper towels;
• · a store for first-aid materials;
• · foot-operated refuse containers, lined with yellow, disposable clinical waste bags or a container suitable for the safe disposal of clinical waste;
• · an examination/medical couch with waterproof protection and clean pillows and blankets;
• · a chair;
• · a telephone or other communication equipment; and
• · a record book for recording incidents attended by a first-aider or appointed person.

Who should have access to the first-aid room?

If possible, the room should be reserved specifically for providing first aid and a designated person (first-aider or appointed person) should be given responsibility for supervising it. The room should be easily accessible to stretchers and be clearly signposted and identified. Are first-aiders allowed to give tablets and medication to casualties? First aid at work does not include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness. The only exception to this is where aspirin is used when giving first aid to a casualty with a suspected heart attack, in accordance with currently accepted first-aid practice. It is recommended that tablets and medicines should not be kept in the first-aid box. Some workers carry their own medication that has been prescribed by their doctor (eg an inhaler for asthma). If an individual needs to take their own prescribed medication, the first-aider's role is generally limited to helping them to do so and contacting the emergency services as appropriate. Medicines legislation restricts the administration of injectable medicines. Unless self-administered, they may only be administered by or in accordance with the instructions of a doctor (eg by a nurse). However, in the case of adrenaline there is an exemption to this restriction, which means in an emergency a layperson is permitted to administer it by injection for the purpose of saving life. When can an Epipen be used?

• · The use of an Epipen to treat anaphylactic shock is an example of an exemption from the restriction imposed by the medicines legislation. Therefore, first-aiders may administer an Epipen if they are dealing with a life-threatening emergency involving a casualty who has been prescribed and is in possession of an Epipen, and where the first-aider is trained to use it.

What about employees who travel regularly or work elsewhere, what should be done about first-aid provision for them? Employers are responsible for meeting the first-aid needs of their employees working away from the main site. The assessment of first-aid needs should determine whether:

• · those who travel long distances or are continuously mobile should carry a personal first-aid box; and
• · employees should be issued with personal communicators/mobile phones.

When dealing with a casualty, how can the risk of cross-infection be minimised? Training courses for first-aiders in the workplace highlight the importance of preventing cross-infection in first-aid procedures. Particular concerns have been raised about the possibility of first-aiders becoming infected by a blood-borne virus (including HIV, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus) while performing first aid. HSE's free leaflet, Blood-borne viruses in the workplace, addresses this issue and advises on steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of infection. How do the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 relate to first-aid provision in schools?

• · Employers are responsible for the provision of appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and first-aid personnel in respect of their employees - this includes schools, as they are workplaces. Although the Regulations do not require employers to provide first aid for anyone else, HSE strongly encourages employers to consider non-employees when carrying out their first-aid needs assessment and to make provision for them.

The Department of Education has produced a booklet: Guidance on First Aid for Schools. First aid kits and British Standard BS 8599 There is a British Standard BS 8599 for first aid kits, it is not a regulatory requirement under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 to purchase kits that comply with this standard. Instead the contents of a first aid box is dependent on an employers first aid needs assessment. This means for employers following a needs assessment the options are: 1. Within your workplace you have access to a first aid kit whose contents complies with BS 8599 and matches your needs assessment; or 2. Within your workplace you have access to a first aid kit whose contents matches your needs assessment but does not comply with the requirements of BS 8599.     Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0'.