How many first aiders does an organisation need?
HSE Guidelines - Minimum Number of Appointed Persons and First Aiders (correct Jan 2008).
It is the responsibility of each organisation to perform their own Risk Assessment to decide how many Appointed Persons / First Aiders they need.
| Risk Category |
No. of employees |
Minimum number of First Aiders |
Lower Risk
Eg shops offices, libraries |
Fewer than 50 |
At least 1 Appointed Person at all times |
| 50-100 |
At least 1 First Aider at all times |
| More than 100 |
At least 1 more First Aider for every 100 employed |
Medium Risk
Eg light engineering, assembly work, food processing, warehousing
|
Fewer than 20 |
At least 1 Appointed Person at all times |
| 20-50 |
At least 1 First Aider at all times |
| More than 50 |
At least 1 more First Aider for every 100 employed |
Higher Risk
Eg any construction work, slaughter houses, chemical manufacture, work with machinery or sharp instruments
|
Fewer than 5 |
At least 1 Appointed Person at all times |
| 5-50 |
At least 1 First Aider at all times |
| More than 50 |
At least 1 more First Aider for every 100 employed |
NB: An Appointed Person can be considered an 'Emergency' First Aider for low risk environments with a small number of personnel, after completing a 4-6 hour course.
HSE considers a person to be a 'First Aider' when they have successfully completed a 4 day course (or *2 day refresher* course as required).
In October 2009 the requirements for first aid in the workplace will change. Current certificates will be valid until their expiry date even if this is after 1 October 2009. All our courses offered will fulfill the strict HSE criteria for First Aid training, both before and after October 2009.