From 1 October 2009 the HSE’s new first aid training regime came into effect, shortening the current four-day first aid at work course (FAW) to three days and introducing a new emergency first aid at work course (EFAW) within the requirements. A review of the original Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 was conducted by HSE to evaluate their effectiveness in their current form in meeting the needs of modern organisations. To help inform the review, HSE commissioned research and consulted with stakeholders on a variety of issues.
Although there is no change to the actual legislative framework, the updated official guidance should be viewed by employers as having the force of a legal requirement because failure to abide by it would be taken into account in the event of prosecutions and personal injury claims.
Key changes in the new training regime are:
- A reduction in the length of the existing FAW course from four to three days. Courses should contain at least 18 contact hours over a minimum of three days (and a maximum of 10 weeks) with each session lasting at least two hours.
- A new EFAW course of at least six contact hours over a minimum of one day (up to a maximum of four weeks) with each session lasting at least two hours.
The 1981 regulations require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. The law applies to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed. Detailed information can be found in First aid at work. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. Approved Code of Practice and guidance.
What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. Employers should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
The regulations do not place a legal duty on employers to make first-aid provision for non-employees such as the public or children in schools. However, HSE strongly recommends that non-employees are included in an assessment of first-aid needs and that provision is made for them.
www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/index.htm