What first aid must my employer provide at work?

What the law requires

The duty sits in regulation 3 of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. It has two main parts:

• Equipment and facilities. An employer must provide, or ensure there are provided, equipment and facilities "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances" so that first aid can be given to employees who are injured or become ill at work.
• People. An employer must provide a number of suitable persons "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances" to give first aid. A person is only suitable if they have the training and qualifications appropriate to the case.

The test is adequacy in the circumstances, not a fixed formula. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says there are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers, so employers have to look at their own workplace.

First-aider or appointed person

A first-aider holds a recognised first-aid qualification. HSE describes the Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course as one day and the First Aid at Work (FAW) course as a minimum of three days.

Regulation 3 also allows a lower tier. Where the nature of the business, the number of employees and the location make it adequate, an employer may instead appoint a person to take charge of the situation when someone needs help from a doctor or nurse, and to look after the first-aid equipment and facilities. HSE calls this an "appointed person". Appointed persons do not need first-aid training, and HSE says they should not attempt first aid they have not been trained to give. The same arrangement can cover a first-aider's temporary and exceptional absence, such as sickness or leave.

The first-aid needs assessment

HSE's guidance is that the employer works out what is needed by carrying out a first-aid needs assessment. The result decides what equipment to keep and how many first-aiders to appoint. It should take account of the type of work, the workforce and where the workplace is, including lone workers and people who travel for work. HSE also recommends including members of the public in the assessment, even though the Regulations themselves only require provision for employees.

Higher-risk work, larger sites and remote locations will generally call for more provision than a small, low-risk office. A first-aid room is needed only if the assessment shows one is necessary. If one is provided, the Regulations require it to be easily accessible to stretchers and signposted.

Records and the accident book

HSE treats a first-aid record book as good practice rather than a legal requirement. Useful entries include the date, time and place, the injured person's name and job, the injury and treatment, what happened next, and the first-aider's signature. It is separate from the statutory accident book, though the two can be combined. See our guide to the accident book at work. Serious injuries may also need a separate RIDDOR report.

Self-employed workers

Regulation 5 requires a "relevant self-employed person" to provide equipment so they can give first aid to themselves while at work. That term covers only self-employed people who run a type of undertaking prescribed under section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. If you are self-employed, see our page on self-employed accidents at work.

What this means if you were hurt and help was slow

Poor first-aid provision does not by itself create a right to compensation. A claim normally has to show that the employer was at fault and that the fault caused or made worse an injury or illness. A delay in treatment, an untrained person stepping in, or a missing kit can matter where it made the outcome worse, for example a bleed or burn that was not treated promptly. Whether it did is a medical and factual question for each case.

If this happened to you:

• Ask for the incident to be recorded in the accident book and note who gave first aid and when.
• Write down what equipment was or was not available, and whether a first-aider was on site.
• Keep medical records from the first hospital or GP visit; they show what harm followed and when.
• Read our evidence checklist and general guide to what to do when you are injured at work.

This page covers the law in Great Britain only. Northern Ireland has its own health and safety regime and is not covered here.