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Legal Duties

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to enable first aid to be given to employees if they are injured or become ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with five or fewer employees and to the self-employed. 

What is adequate 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 needed. Employers should carry out an assessment of first aid needs to determine this.

The Regulations do not place a legal obligation on employers to make first aid provision for non-employees such as the public or children in schools. However, HSE strongly recommends that non-employees are included in a first aid needs assessment and that provision is made for them.

How many First Aiders do I need?
The relevant regulations are the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. This guidance to the regulations sets out the difference between a 'first aider' and an 'appointed person':

In any company, the number and type of first aid personnel would be based on an assessment. In assessing need, employers need to consider:

  • workplace hazards and risks;
  • the size of the organisation;
  • the organisation's history of accidents;
  • the nature and distribution of the workforce;
  • the remoteness of the site from emergency medical services;
  • the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers;
  • employees working on shared or multi-occupied sites;
  • annual leave and other absences of first aiders and appointed persons.

Whilst the regulations do not give specific personnel numbers, the guidance does give suggested numbers of first aid personnel can be found on the HSE's website.