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First aid at work requirements: kits, first-aiders and appointed persons

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and people. This page summarises how HSE suggests you assess your needs and staff your workplace.

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Minimum provision and needs assessment

Every work site needs at least a suitably stocked first-aid kit, an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements, and information for employees about those arrangements. Provision must be available at all times people are at work.

Beyond this minimum, you assess your own needs using factors such as hazard level, number of employees, lone or remote working, shift work, sites with several buildings and distance from emergency services.

Suggested numbers of first-aid personnel

HSE's Table 2 gives suggestions only. In low-hazard workplaces such as offices and shops: fewer than 25 employees, at least one appointed person; 25 to 50, at least one first-aider trained in emergency first aid at work (EFAW); more than 50, at least one first-aider trained in first aid at work (FAW) for every 100 employed.

In higher-hazard workplaces such as warehousing, food processing or construction: fewer than 5 employees, at least one appointed person; 5 to 50, at least one first-aider trained in EFAW or FAW depending on likely injuries; more than 50, at least one FAW first-aider for every 50 employed. Annual refresher training is strongly recommended.

Informing staff and choosing a training provider

You must tell employees about your first-aid arrangements. Notices showing who and where the first-aiders or appointed persons are, and where the first-aid box is, will usually be enough, with special arrangements for staff with reading or language difficulties.

Training providers include those offering regulated FAW and EFAW qualifications, the voluntary aid societies and accredited or independent providers. Whichever you choose, check that they are competent, use qualified trainers, teach relevant content correctly and have quality assurance in place.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a mandatory list of first-aid kit contents?

No. HSE suggests a minimum stock for low-hazard work, including 20 assorted sterile plasters, two sterile eye pads, four triangular bandages, six safety pins, wound dressings and at least three pairs of disposable gloves. HSE recommends not keeping tablets or medicines in the first-aid box.

What does an appointed person do?

An appointed person looks after first-aid equipment and facilities and calls the emergency services when required. They do not need first-aid training, and they can cover an unforeseen absence of a first-aider, but annual leave does not count.

Must I provide first aid for members of the public?

The Regulations place no legal duty on you to provide first aid for non-employees. However, HSE strongly recommends including them in your first-aid provision.

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