Why Does Your Company Need First Aid Training?

Companies in the UK need to provide first aid cover for several important reasons.

1. Legal requirement

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate, appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel so employees receive immediate attention if they’re injured or taken ill at work.

2. Employee safety

Trained first aiders and proper equipment on-site mean prompt, appropriate action can be taken in an accident, injury or medical emergency — helping prevent minor incidents from becoming serious, and potentially saving lives.

3. Compliance with duty of care

Employers have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. Providing first aid cover is part of fulfilling that obligation.

4. Minimising disruption

Proper first aid care can treat minor injuries and illnesses on-site, reducing the need for employees to leave work and minimising disruption to operations.

5. Risk management

Some workplaces — construction, manufacturing or laboratories, for example — carry a higher risk of accidents. Adequate first aid cover helps mitigate those risks and potential liabilities.

The level of cover required depends on the size of your workforce, the nature of the work and the level of risk involved. Employers should carry out a risk assessment to determine the right number of trained first aiders, equipment and facilities — and we’re happy to help you work out what you need.