First Aid At Work

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 7

Subject:          First Aid At Work

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 identifies that arrangements must be in place to ensure employees receive appropriate attention and support if they are injured or taken ill at work.

Whilst the regulations places a duty on employers to make provision for their own colleagues, there is no legal responsibility towards non-employees.

The National Ice Centre will consider the provision of first aid for contractors, agency workers, and any other person whilst on National Ice Centre property and/or under their care.

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 place a responsibility on employers to:

• Make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of first aid needs at each workplace.
• Ensure that adequate first aid materials, equipment, facilities and first aid personnel are available.
• Provide information to employees on first aid arrangements.

It is essential that managers ensure that adequate numbers of first-aiders are available at all times to cover their colleagues at work. 

This number of first aiders should also be available to cover flexible working patterns, annual leave and other planned or unplanned absences of colleagues who are first aid trained.

Each manager must determine the number and type of first aiders required via the risk assessment process with reference to the relevant guidance. 

For low risk environments (e.g. offices) the minimum number of first aid trained colleagues is suggested as:

For higher risk environments where serious accidents are more likely such as workshops, the suggested minimum number of trained first aid colleagues would be:

In some buildings it may be deemed advantageous if a three day FAW trained individual is also appointed and who then would act as a co-ordinator on behalf of the manager.

The number of trained first aid colleagues may be adjusted to take into account non-employees.

The number, location and contents of these first aid kits should be identified by first aid needs assessment for the environment being assessed. 

The information from the first aid provision risk assessment will identify the numbers and qualification level of first aid required and may include.

The current types of qualified first aid course available are:

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)              

This is a regulated one day training course in administering first aid at work designed for low risk working environments.  There is a recommended annual refresher for this training. 

First Aid at Work (FAW)              

This is a regulated three day training course in administering first aid at work and lasts for 3 years.

First Aid at Work Re-qualification (FAW)     

This is a regulated two day training course that refreshes the skills learnt within the First Aid at Work Course.  The first aider must hold a current FAW certificate at time of attending this session. 

Retraining must be organised before any FAW certificates expire.

Where this does not happen, they will have to undertake the full FAW course to obtain a new certificate.

Refresher Training

The HSE strongly recommends that it is good practice for first aiders to complete annual ‘refresher’ courses.  

The National Ice Centre endorses this good practice and requires managers to assess if this level of training is required and this is formally recorded within the first aid risk assessment.

Managers need to ensure that their full first aid kits contain as a minimum:

• Leaflet giving basic advice on first aid (copies available from the HSE Website)
• 20 sterile adhesive dressings (assorted sizes) appropriate for type of work (e.g. blue type for food handlers) (when replacing stock hypoallergenic plasters should be considered)
• 2 sterile eye pads
• 4 individually wrapped triangular bandages
• 6 safety pins
• 6 medium-sized individually wrapped sterile un-medicated wound dressings
• 2 large sterile individually wrapped un-medicated wound dressings
• 1 pair of nitrile powder-free disposable gloves (if latex gloves are present, replace with nitrile)

Note: First aid kits must not contain any tablets or medicines.

Arrangements must be in place to keep first aid kits fully stocked by a nominated person. 

Each service area is responsible for ensuring that a nominated person is in place for all first aid boxes provided. 

Sufficient back-up supplies must be kept on site.

First aid materials should be checked regularly and any which have reached their use by date should be disposed of.

Managers can where identified by assessment include additional first aid materials that may include:

• Adhesive tape
• Scissors
• Disposable aprons
• Individually wrapped moist wipes
• Personal protective equipment if first aiders may have to enter dangerous atmospheres during emergencies (see Safety Policy & Arrangements – ‘Personal Protective Equipment’)
• Blankets to protect casualties from inclement weather.

Managers must ensure that when mains water is not available for eye irrigation, eyewash phials or bottles are provided. 

Additional first aid materials must be stored near the first aid container, in the first aid room, or near the hazard area as appropriate.

The National Ice Centre is also responsible for meeting the first aid needs of their employees who work away from the premises.  

Within the risk assessment for their work, the following should be considered:

Do employees travel regularly or work alone and:

• are any of those employees exposed to specific risks (e.g. hazardous substances, tools or machinery, loads or animals)?

or:

• do accident or ill-health records indicate areas or tasks where employees may be at risk of injury?

The risk assessment may demonstrate the need for a personal first aid kit or pocket plaster pack.

First aid kits in vehicles

Where at-risk employees travel in and operate from a specific vehicle, the first-aid kit may be ‘issued’ to the vehicle (where it must remain) rather than an individual.

There is no legal requirement to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a workplace, however in the event of cardiac arrest they do significantly increase the chances of survival.

If managers identify as part of their first aid needs assessment that they should provide an AED in the workplace, then the Provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations (PUWER) apply.

This would include provision of information and training on the use of the equipment, which is now part of the first aid training.

The AED will also require checks and replacement of pads as identified in manufacturer’s instructions.

Managers must ensure that at least one notice, identifying who the first aiders are and the location of the first aid box is displayed in a prominent location within the workplace. 

On larger sites, more than one notice may be required and where appropriate they must also give an extension number and/or details of where the first aider is based, e.g. floor of section. 

If a workplace has a first aid room, it is also advised that details of its location must also be included on first aider notices.

An example of a first aid notice is identified, however it is not considered as adequate until all of the required information has been completed. 

Managers need to ensure that this information is completed and kept up to date when any changes occur to the first aid arrangements.

Trained first aiders acting on behalf of the National Ice Centre in accordance with their training and instructions are insured under the organisation’s Employers Liability and Public Liability Insurance i.e. for the provision of first aid to employees and non-employees.

The risk of being infected with a disease when undertaking first aid treatment is low. 

The training will advise first aiders of what steps should be taken to reduce the risk of infection both from blood borne  and respiratory infections.  

Managers need to ensure trained first aiders are aware of the contents of the safety manual documents, SPA – ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’ and SPA – ‘Hepatitis b, Managing the risk’.