Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981
These Regulations state that all workplaces must have first aid provision. The form it should take depends on the following:
· the nature and degree of hazards at work
· whether there is shift work involved
· what medical services are available
· the number of employees
First Aid Boxes and Kits
These should only contain items that a first aider has been trained to use and they should be regularly checked and adequately stocked. They should not contain medication of any kind.
First Aiders
A first aider is a person who has undergone training and obtained a certificate of qualification which is approved by the Health and Safety Executive. At present these certificates are valid for three years.
Appointed Person
An appointed person is someone who is authorised to take charge of the situation (eg to call an ambulance) if there is a serious injury or an illness.
Emergency first aid training should be considered for all appointed persons.
The number of first aiders needed depends primarily on the degree of hazard.
In a workplace of low hazard (eg a bank or library) at least one first aider will be required if there are more than 50 employees. In a more hazardous workplace, such as a factory, a larger number will be required. Other factors which should be taken into consideration are shift work and provision during holidays and sick leave.
If no trained first aider is available, or if you have less than 50 employees in a low hazard workplace, there must always be an appointed person present when people are at work.
For more information why not try:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/index.htm
http://www.sja.org.uk/
Booklet L74 – First Aid at Work (HSE)
Leaflet IND(G) 214L – First Aid at Work – Your Questions Answered.