All businesses are required to have first aid arrangements in place for their workplace, which all personnel should be aware of.
As an employer you have a responsibility to make sure employees receive immediate first aid attention if they have an accident or are suddenly taken ill on your premises. Accidents and illnesses are unpredictable so it is imperative that the correct first aid equipment is kept on site, and that all staff are kept updated with any change of your business’s first aid procedures.
The minimum requirement to meet first aid regulations in the workplace is that you have:
- A first aid kit which is kept sufficiently stocked.
- An appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements.
- Information for all employees providing details of the first aid arrangements.
You business’s first aid arrangements will need to be specifically tailored to your work environment and the risks that are present. For instance, a factory will require a different first aid procedure to a work office, because the daily tasks are not similar and pose different risks for employees.
It is also advisable that you nominate an employee as a first aider. This will require those nominated to attend training sessions by approved organisations, to certify that they have been correctly trained in first aid at work.
Health and Safety law also requires businesses with over 10 employees, or who own a factory, quarry or mine to keep a record of injuries and accidents in the workplace. This will assist in completing risk assessments, as any patterns of frequent accidents or illness will be recognisable, allowing preventative procedures to be implemented.
For further information on health and safety in the workplace then we recommend visiting the Health and Safety Executive website at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/index.htm
Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.