THE ANSWER, FIRST
Use a first-aid needs assessment. Staff numbers matter, but so do the hazards, working patterns, locations and absence cover.
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Who is responsibleYour next stepsBefore spending moneyWhat you can do yourselfPutting it into practiceRecords to keepWhen to reviewCommon questionsOfficial sourcesWho is responsible?
Employers, including small businesses. Consider each workplace, working hours, absences and lone workers.
Provide adequate first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel. Make sure employees know the arrangements.
START HERE
Your next three steps
- 1
Complete a first-aid needs assessment for your workforce and risks.
- 2
Provide a stocked kit and someone to take charge of arrangements.
- 3
Arrange trained first-aiders where your assessment identifies a need, including absence cover.
BEFORE YOU PAY
Make sure you’re buying the right job
- Assess the needs of the work before selecting a course.
- Check shift patterns, holidays, lone working and access to emergency help.
- Ask what the training equips someone to do and how you will maintain cover.
Watch out: There is no single staff-to-first-aider ratio that answers every situation. In some small low-risk workplaces an appointed person is sufficient; that is a different role from a trained first-aider.
Compare the whole cost of two quotesWhat can you do yourself?
An employer can assess their needs using HSE guidance. In some small, low-risk workplaces, a stocked kit and an appointed person may be enough. That role is different from a trained first-aider.
When to get competent help
Higher-risk activities or more complex working arrangements may call for trained first-aiders and additional provision. Choose training that fits the assessed need.
Look at cover across the working week
Before you commission work
Map the people present across shifts, sites, lone-working arrangements and planned leave. Identify who maintains supplies and communicates the arrangements. If purchasing training, explain the role you need the learner to fulfil and check that the course fits the assessed need.
Follow through on the result
After training, update staff information and absence arrangements. Keep completion records and course details available to the person planning future cover. A place booked is not a qualification completed; follow up cancellations or unsuccessful completion before assuming the intended cover exists.
Compare costs and decide what to buy
Use these buying guides to prepare your brief, check exclusions and compare the whole price.
Keep a useful record
Aim for information that helps the next person make a sound decision.
- The needs assessment and the arrangements chosen.
- Training details where relevant, and a plan for absence cover.
- How staff are told where to get first-aid help.
When to review it
Review when the workforce, work or risks change and maintain suitable cover.
Ask a supplier to distinguish a legal deadline, a recommendation based on risk and a condition in your contract or insurance. They are not interchangeable.
Questions to put to a provider
- Which course meets the needs identified in our assessment?
- How do we cover shifts, holidays and sickness?
- How is the training provider competent?
Common questions
Is there one legal first-aider ratio for all businesses?
No single staff ratio settles every workplace’s needs. Assess the hazards and working arrangements as well as employee numbers.
Does an appointed person need first-aid training?
HSE says an appointed person does not need specific first-aid training. They take charge of arrangements, such as calling emergency services and looking after equipment; this is not the same role as a trained first-aider.
Check the official sources
Read the current guidance for the place where you operate. A link is not an endorsement of this website by the regulator.
Source-checked guidance. Specialist editorial sign-off is pending; this is not an assessment of your business. It does not cover every specialist activity or replace competent, case-specific advice.
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