The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate training, equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces, including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.
Assessment of first-aid needs
Employers are required to assess first-aid needs. This involves consideration of workplace hazards and risks, the size of the organisation and other relevant factors, to determine what first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel should be provided.
Application of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 to self-employed workers
If you are self-employed, you are required to ensure you have such equipment, as may be adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, to provide first aid to yourself while at work.
You should make an assessment of the hazards and risks in your workplace and establish an appropriate level of first-aid provision. If you carry out activities involving low hazards (e.g., clerical work) in your own home, you would not be expected to provide first-aid equipment beyond your normal domestic needs. If your work involves driving long distances or you are continuously on the road, the assessment may identify the need to keep a personal first-aid kit in your vehicle.
Many self-employed people work on mixed premises with other self-employed or employed workers. Although you are legally responsible for your own first-aid provision, it is sensible to make joint arrangements with the other occupiers and self-employed workers on the premises. This would generally mean that one employer would take responsibility for first aid for all workers on the premises. HSE strongly recommends that there is a written agreement for any such arrangement.
First-aid arrangements
Your arrangements will depend on the outcome of your first-aid needs assessment and the particular circumstances in your workplace at any given time.
The findings of the needs assessment should indicate the level of first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel required.
As a minimum, you must have:
- a suitably stocked first-aid kit
- an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements;
- information for all employees, giving details of first-aid arrangements.
Where your needs assessment identifies workplace or workforce issues, or more significant health and safety risks, you are likely to need a sufficient number of appropriately trained first aiders and may need to arrange additional equipment and facilities.
How Does Remote First Aid Support Employers & the Self-Employed?
The onus of what training is required falls with the employer, and their first aid needs assessment. Remote First Aid’s responsibility is to maintain standards as a training provider that meets the First Aid Regulations 1981. Remote First Aid can deliver a wide range of nationally recognised and due diligence-compliant first aid and higher-level first aid qualifications.
These can be located at First Aid – Remote First Aid
Additionally, Remote First Aid provides a higher level of first aid/responder skills training that meets the standards agreed upon by the First Aid Awarding Organisation Forum and the Health and Safety Executive for first aid qualifications that can be viewed at Clinical Courses – Remote First Aid. These typically support remote working environments, events and welfare providers and in-shore work operations and Uniformed Public Services such as Police, Fire, Coastguard, plus MOD personnel providing Mutual Aid to Civilian Authorities (MUTA), including EOD Teams, and Specialist Military Units.