Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
First Aid at work
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require that in order to provide first aid to their employees who are injured or become ill at work, employers must have adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel. Regulation 3(2) states that for this purpose a person shall not be suitable unless he has undergone:
Detailed information can be found in the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance: First aid at work. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 L74.
If you have identified that first aiders are needed in your workplace, they must gain a certificate of competence from a training organisation that has been approved by HSE. Courses last for at least 24 hours of training, usually held over four days or spread over several weeks. First aid at work certificates are valid for three years. Requalification courses are of at least 12 hours training and are normally held over two days.
First aid at work certificates are only valid if they have been issued by an HSE approved organisation in mainland Britain. If a certificate has been issued by or in another country then that certificate will not be valid in mainland Britain.
HSE does not run training courses but does approve training organisations whose courses have reached the standards required. The First Aid Approval and Monitoring Section (FAAMS) of HSE’s Corporate Medical Unit carries out this work.
Currently there are approximately 1200 training providers approved across England, Scotland and Wales. Each organisation has recently been monitored and all are working to the same standard as required by HSE.
New training providers that wish to start running first aid at work courses need to apply to FAAMS for approval. Applicants need to complete an Original Approval Questionnaire [PDF 110kb] as well as read and fulfil the requirements of the associated guidance: How to gain and maintain approval for First Aid at Work training under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 [PDF 170kb]
On completion of the questionnaire, it should be returned to the address in the associated guidance, along with the documentation as listed in the guidance and a cheque for £1,350 made payable to the 'Health and Safety Executive'. This charge covers the cost of certification as well as the Original Approval Assessment visit and an Original Approval Monitoring visit. The fee is not refundable if the application is not successful or if the application is withdrawn once the evaluation has begun. The application process will take a minimum of eight weeks from the date when FAAMS receives the required information.
If the training package has met the required standards following the Original Approval Assessment visit to the organisation, a provisional (pending successful monitoring of a first aid at work course) certificate of approval will be granted. Only upon receipt of this approval can a provider then organise their own first aid at work training courses and issue their own certificates.
It will be expected that providers will run a first aid at work course within three months of receiving provisional approval and conduct a minimum of six first aid at work courses during each year of approval.
HSE charges fees for the various elements of the approval process and will inform training providers in writing of the details of these fees.
The training objectives for offshore medics and first aiders are set out in the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, Health care and first aid on offshore installations and pipeline works L123. This also provides guidance on the roles and responsibilities of offshore medics and first aiders and the types of secondary roles that are suitable.
Details of diver medic courses are available from the International Marine Contractors Association.