Workplace First Aid in the UK: Employer Duties, HSE Requirements and Best Practice

Not necessarily, though the answer depends on the outcome of a properly conducted needs assessment.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide appropriate first aid arrangements based on their specific workplace, not a universal standard.

In very small, low-risk workplaces with only a handful of employees, it may be sufficient to appoint someone to manage first aid arrangements and contact emergency services if needed. However, even in these settings, many employers choose to train at least one member of staff so that immediate assistance is available before an ambulance arrives. That decision is likely to be influenced by factors such as how far the workplace is from emergency services and whether the nature of the work involves any meaningful risk.

In most workplaces, trained first aid personnel will be required. The needs assessment determines the level and number.

Workplace first aid in Great Britain is governed by the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. These regulations require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and personnel to deal with injuries or illness at work.
The Health and Safety Executive provides detailed practical guidance on how employers should interpret and meet those duties in its document.

Northern Ireland has separate but broadly equivalent legislation under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982.
The Regulations have been in place since 1981 and remain in force.

There is no fixed national number. This is one of the most persistent misconceptions about workplace first aid.

The Regulations do not prescribe a ratio of first aiders to employees — instead, the number is determined by the workplace first aid needs assessment.
Factors that typically influence the number include:
– The level of hazard in the workplace
– The number of employees and the physical spread of the site
– The shift patterns in operation
– The presence of lone workers
– The distance from emergency services
– The organisation’s accident history

A small, low-risk office with ten employees in a city centre location may need far fewer trained first aiders than a manufacturing facility with a hundred staff spread across multiple shifts. Any guidance suggesting a specific ratio should be treated as a starting point only — the actual number must come from a genuine assessment of the specific workplace.

It is also essential to plan for absence. An organisation that trains exactly the minimum number it thinks it needs will frequently find itself without adequate cover.

In most workplaces, yes.
Employers must consider situations where trained staff may be unavailable due to holidays, sickness, parental leave, training days, or simply being in a different part of the building when an incident occurs.

If only one employee holds a first aid qualification and that person is absent, the workplace has no trained provision, even if the certificate is current and the training was excellent.
This is not a theoretical concern. It is one of the most common situations we encounter when an organisation gets in touch after an incident.

Most employers who have thought it through carefully end up training several members of staff. The number that makes sense will depend on the size of the organisation, the number of separate sites or floors, shift patterns and the level of risk involved.

These are the two primary levels of workplace first aid qualification available in the UK, and the difference between them is significant.

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is typically delivered as a one-day course (six hours of guided learning). It covers essential life-saving skills, including CPR and AED use, recognition of medical emergencies, management of choking, bleeding, shock and unconsciousness, and basic incident management. It is designed for lower-risk workplaces with straightforward hazard profiles.

First Aid at Work (FAW) is a more comprehensive qualification, typically delivered over three days (18 hours of guided learning). It covers the full EFAW syllabus and extends to a wider range of medical emergencies and injuries, including chest pain, stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, eye injuries, fractures, burns, spinal injury management and more complex trauma scenarios. It is generally required in higher-risk workplaces or those with larger workforces.

Both certificates are valid for three years. The appropriate qualification depends on the results of the workplace first aid needs assessment.

No. Automated External Defibrillators are not legally required in most workplaces under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

However, the clinical case for having them is well established. Sudden cardiac arrest is a time-critical emergency. The sooner defibrillation is delivered alongside CPR, the better the chances of survival. The 2025 Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines confirm that early defibrillation remains a priority, and that first aiders should call 999/112 immediately and begin CPR without delay when cardiac arrest is suspected.

Many organisations install AEDs as part of their best practice approach to health and safety. This is particularly common in environments where the workforce tends toward an older demographic, where physical exertion is involved, or where large numbers of visitors or members of the public are present.

Modern AEDs are designed to be used by people without medical training. They give clear audio and visual instructions and will not deliver a shock unless the device determines one is needed. Paired with appropriate training, they are one of the most effective life-saving interventions a workplace can put in place.

There is no single mandatory list of items prescribed by the Health and Safety Executive. The contents of a workplace first aid kit should reflect the risks identified in the first aid needs assessment.

For a typical lower-risk workplace, a standard kit would normally include:
– A sufficient quantity of individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings
– Sterile eye pads
– Individually wrapped triangular bandages
– Safety pins
– Medium and large sterile wound dressings
– Disposable gloves
– Cleansing wipes or antiseptic wipes
– A foil emergency blanket

Higher-risk workplaces may need additional items tailored to the hazards present. For example, workplaces where severe bleeding is a realistic possibility might include wound packing, gauze or a tourniquet. Settings involving chemical exposure may need eyewash stations.

First aid kits should not contain medication. Aspirin, paracetamol and similar items should not be kept in a workplace first aid kit for general distribution.

There is no legally specified frequency for kit checks, but employers must ensure that kits remain properly stocked and that contents are in usable condition.
In practice, most organisations check their kits on a monthly or quarterly basis, with additional checks following any use.

Checks should verify that:
•  Sterile items are within their expiry date
•  Used or opened items have been replaced
• The kit has not been raided for items that belong elsewhere
•  The container is clean and intact

It is useful to keep a record of kit checks as part of broader health and safety documentation. Assigning responsibility for kit checks to a specific named individual, rather than leaving it as a general expectation, tends to result in it actually getting done.

Yes. In-house delivery is common and often preferable for organisations that want training to reflect their specific working environment.

When training is delivered on-site, scenarios, discussions, and examples can be drawn directly from the real hazards and situations staff are likely to encounter. This tends to produce more engaged learners and more confident first aiders than a classroom-based public course with no connection to the actual workplace.

In-house delivery also has practical advantages. It avoids the cost and disruption of sending multiple staff members to an external venue, and it allows training to be scheduled around the organisation’s operational requirements.

Yes, and effective training should reflect the hazards present in the particular workplace. A generic course that does not refer to the actual risks staff face is a missed opportunity. Examples of how training content varies by sector:

•  Schools and early years settings focus on paediatric emergencies, including choking, anaphylaxis and common childhood incidents
•  Care providers often cover medical emergencies, seizure management, infection control and the specific vulnerabilities of the people they support
•  Manufacturing and industrial workplaces frequently address trauma, crush injuries, chemical exposure and machinery-related incidents
•  Hospitality and events venues may focus on allergic reactions, crowd-related incidents and managing emergencies in public-facing environments
• Veterinary settings may consider animal-related injuries alongside standard first aid content

Tailoring training helps staff understand how first aid applies directly to their role and the people around them, rather than feeling like an abstract requirement that has no bearing on their actual working day.

At Prima Cura Training, we tailor every course to industry and organisational policy as standard.

Early years providers registered with Ofsted must meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which includes specific requirements for paediatric first aid.

The EYFS framework requires that at least one member of staff holding a current paediatric first aid certificate must be present on the premises at all times when children are present, and must accompany groups of children on outings. For childminders, the requirement applies to themselves and any assistants working with them.

Paediatric first aid certificates must be renewed every three years to remain valid under the EYFS requirements.

For schools outside the early years setting, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 apply. Many schools choose to train a number of staff in paediatric first aid as a matter of best practice, given the age profile of those they work with.

During inspections of early years providers and schools, Ofsted inspectors may ask for evidence that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place.

This can include asking whether staff hold suitable first aid qualifications, how many qualified first aiders are on the premises, and whether emergency procedures are understood.

Inspectors are generally interested in whether arrangements are adequate and whether staff are genuinely prepared.

Where Ofsted identifies concerns about first aid provision, these may be recorded as areas for improvement or, in serious cases, may contribute to a judgement about whether the legal welfare requirements are being met.

A workplace first aid needs assessment is a structured review carried out by the employer to determine what first aid provision is appropriate for their specific working environment.

It is the starting point for all first aid planning.

The assessment considers factors including the nature of the workplace and its hazards, the size and composition of the workforce, shift patterns and working hours, the accident and incident history of the organisation, the physical layout of the site, the presence of lone workers and the proximity of emergency services.

The outcome of the assessment determines how many trained first aiders are needed, what level of training is appropriate, what equipment should be available, and what procedures need to be in place.

It should be documented and reviewed regularly, and updated whenever significant changes occur in the workplace.

Employers should review their first aid needs assessment regularly as a matter of good practice, and must revisit it whenever significant changes occur in the workplace.

Examples of changes that should trigger a review include:
•  introduction of new equipment, processes or hazards
•  significant changes in workforce size or composition
•  opening of new sites, floors or departments
•  changes in shift patterns or working hours
•  changes in the types of work being carried out
•  a significant increase in the number of contractors or visitors on site

It is also good practice to review arrangements following any serious incident, to ensure that the response was adequate and that lessons have been incorporated into future planning.

There is no prescribed interval for routine reviews in the Regulations, but many organisations build an annual review into their health and safety calendar as a minimum.

The primary legal duty in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 relates to employees.
However, practical first aid arrangements should take into account all individuals who may be present on site, including contractors, sub-contractors, visitors and members of the public.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers also have duties in relation to persons other than employees. An employer whose workplace regularly hosts contractors or large numbers of visitors should not plan first aid provision as if those people do not exist.

In multi-occupancy workplaces, shared office buildings, construction sites with multiple contractors, and large facilities with visiting staff, it is common for organisations to agree on a shared first aid arrangement. This needs to be clearly documented, and all relevant parties need to be aware of how it works.

An appointed person is an individual designated by the employer to take charge of first aid arrangements. Their responsibilities typically include maintaining and checking first aid equipment, ensuring emergency services are contacted when needed, and coordinating the response during an incident.

Critically, an appointed person is not required to hold a first aid qualification. The role is an administrative and coordination function rather than a clinical one. It is designed for lower-risk workplaces where a fully trained first aider is not required under the needs assessment.

An appointed person is not a substitute for a trained first aider in workplaces where the needs assessment indicates that trained personnel are required. Employers should not use the appointed person arrangement as a means of reducing costs in settings where the level of risk warrants properly trained cover.

Yes. The employer’s duty under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 extends to all employees, including those who work alone, remotely, from home, on client sites or in other isolated settings.

The needs assessment for lone workers should consider what would realistically happen if that individual became ill or injured while working. Can they summon help? How long would it take for assistance to arrive? Are there specific hazards involved in their role?

Arrangements for lone workers might include:
•  a personal first aid kit appropriate to their working environment
•  a communication device and a clear procedure for raising the alarm
•  a check-in protocol so that absence or non-contact can be detected promptly
•  first aid training for the individual themselves, so they can manage minor injuries independently

The appropriate level of provision will depend on the nature of the lone working and the associated risks.

In general, workplace first aid does not involve administering medication. First aiders are trained to manage the immediate physical consequences of injury or illness, not to distribute drugs.

The most commonly discussed exception is aspirin in the context of suspected cardiac chest pain. The 2025 Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines state that a first aider should encourage and assist a conscious person with cardiac-sounding chest pain to self-administer 300mg of aspirin as soon as possible while awaiting emergency services (but not if the person has a known aspirin allergy).

The important distinction here is that the person self-administers; the first aider’s role is to encourage and assist, not to administer on their behalf.

The same guidelines also note that a first aider may assist a person with known angina to self-administer their own prescribed nitroglycerine spray or tablets.

Some workplaces have specific arrangements for particular medications. For example, schools or early years settings may hold prescribed medication for individual children with known conditions such as anaphylaxis (adrenaline auto-injectors) or epilepsy, with parental consent and a documented care plan in place.

These arrangements operate under different rules and require appropriate authorisation and specific training.

If in doubt about what falls within the scope of workplace first aid in a particular setting, this is worth discussing specifically with a training provider who understands the context.

The 2025 Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines set out three core principles for any first aider: check for scene safety, call 999/112, and only use equipment or medications you have been trained to use.

Having that sequence embedded through practice is exactly what good training achieves.

The immediate priorities are:
•  Ensure the scene is safe. No first aider should put themselves at risk by approaching an unsafe environment
• Pay immediate attention to responsiveness and any life-threatening bleeding before progressing to a full assessment
• Use the ABCDE framework (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure) to structure the assessment of the casualty
•  Call 999/112 for emergency assistance, or ensure someone else does while the first aider remains with the casualty — use a speakerphone where possible
•  Provide appropriate first aid until emergency services arrive
•  Do not move the casualty unless remaining in position presents an immediate danger, and be especially careful where a spinal injury is possible

In the aftermath of the incident, the employer must ensure it is recorded in the accident book and assessed to determine whether it meets the threshold for reporting under RIDDOR.

Employers should also review their first aid arrangements to ensure they perform as intended and identify any gaps.

Training gives first aiders not just the clinical skills to manage an injury, but the psychological preparation to act calmly and decisively in a situation where most people would freeze.

Catastrophic (life-threatening) bleeding is severe, uncontrolled blood loss that can become life-threatening within minutes. The 2025 Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines treat it as an immediate priority, addressed before working through the full ABCDE assessment.

Common causes in workplace contexts include severe lacerations, traumatic amputations, puncture wounds, crush injuries and incidents involving machinery. These are not everyday occurrences in most workplaces, but they are the scenarios that illustrate most clearly why trained provision matters.

The 2025 guidelines recommend the following escalating approach:
•  Call 999 or 112 immediately
•  Apply firm, direct manual pressure to the bleeding injury site
•  Apply a standard dressing, or ideally a haemostatic dressing, directly to the wound. At some sites, this may require the dressing to be packed into the wound. If no first aid dressings are available, any clean material can be used. The priority is stopping the bleeding
•  Once bleeding is under control, apply a pressure dressing over the top
•  If direct pressure does not control life-threatening bleeding from a limb, apply a tourniquet. Place it 5–7cm above the injury site, not over a joint. Tighten until the bleeding slows and stops; this may be painful. Write down the time of application. Do not release the tourniquet; it should only be removed by a healthcare professional.
•  In some cases, a second tourniquet applied above the first may be needed to control bleeding

Employers in higher-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, and engineering should ensure their needs assessment specifically considers traumatic bleeding risk and that their kit and training reflect the 2025 guidance. A standard office kit is not appropriate for a workshop environment.

Not all workplaces require a dedicated first aid room. The Health and Safety Executive guidance indicates that a first aid room should be considered by employers whose needs assessment identifies it as appropriate.

Workplaces that may benefit from a first aid room include larger organisations, those with higher-risk working environments, and those where the volume of incidents or the nature of the work makes a designated treatment area practical and valuable. High-risk industrial sites, large construction projects and major facilities with substantial workforces are the environments where a first aid room is most likely to be needed.

Where a first aid room is provided, the HSE recommends it should be large enough to accommodate a couch, with enough space for a first aider to work around it. It should be near a hand washing facility, clearly signed, accessible to stretchers or wheelchairs, and kept clean, adequately heated and properly equipped.

The majority of smaller and lower-risk workplaces will not require a dedicated room. A well-equipped and clearly identified first aid area within an existing space is often sufficient.

A standard First Aid at Work (FAW) course is delivered over three days — a minimum of 18 hours of guided learning, typically spread across three consecutive or non-consecutive days. There is also an option to complete this with blended learning (part online & part face-to-face).

The course covers a comprehensive range of workplace injuries and medical emergencies, including CPR and defibrillation, management of the unconscious casualty, airway management, cardiac emergencies, stroke, seizures, diabetic emergencies, anaphylaxis, chest injuries, abdominal injuries, burns, eye injuries, fractures, spinal injury management and extremity trauma, including tourniquet application. Assessment is ongoing throughout the course, with a formal written assessment on the last day.

The FAW certificate is valid for three years. Employers should plan requalification training before certificates expire.

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is delivered in a single day, with a minimum of six hours of guided learning.

Fully online training alone does not usually meet the practical assessment requirements for Emergency First Aid at Work. Employers should ensure the course includes appropriate practical training and assessment in line with recognised guidance.

The course covers the core life-saving skills and the most common workplace incidents: CPR and AED use, management of the unconscious casualty, recognition and response to cardiac arrest, choking, severe bleeding, shock, burns, and incident management.

EFAW is designed for lower-risk workplaces where a comprehensive three-day qualification is not indicated by the needs assessment.

Like FAW, the certificate is valid for three years.

Most workplace first aid certificates, including First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid, are valid for three years from the date of issue.

When a certificate expires, the employer can no longer count that individual as a currently qualified first aider. Allowing certificates to lapse is not a minor administrative oversight; it means the organisation is no longer in compliance with its legal duty to provide adequate first aid personnel.

Employers should maintain a log of all first aid certificates and the dates on which they expire. Many find it useful to set renewal reminders at least three months in advance, to allow time to arrange training before the existing certificate runs out, rather than scrambling after the fact.

Although not a regulatory requirement, annual refresher training is widely recommended by training providers and the Resuscitation Council UK. First aid skills deteriorate without practice, and a one-day annual update between three-year requalifications helps maintain competence and keeps first aiders current with any changes in guidance.

No. The Health and Safety Executive does not approve, endorse or maintain a register of approved first aid training providers.

This is a common misconception, and it matters because employers sometimes search for an “HSE-approved” provider and make purchasing decisions on the basis of a claim that is, at best, misleading.

The HSE’s position is that employers are responsible for carrying out their own due diligence. A provider that states its courses are “HSE approved” is not accurately representing the regulatory position. The HSE, however, have produced a guide to selecting a first aid provider.

Employers evaluating training providers should instead look at whether the provider holds accreditation from recognised awarding and quality bodies such as FAIB (First Aid Industry Body), Qualsafe, WorkSafe or CPD-assessed frameworks. These organisations impose standards on providers and carry out external quality audits.

They are more meaningful than a claim of HSE approval.

First aid trainers must hold a recognised & accredited Ofqual teaching qualification such as the Award in Education and Training, as a minimum. They must then hold first aid qualifications appropriate to the level they are teaching, typically a First Aid at Work qualification, alongside an assessor award.

Equally important is relevant practical experience. A trainer who has worked in healthcare, emergency services, the armed forces or a comparable field brings a depth of real-world context that cannot be replicated by a trainer whose experience is purely classroom-based.

When commissioning training, employers are well within their rights to ask about the background of the individual who will actually be delivering the course. Training quality varies enormously between providers, and the individual trainer is the primary variable.

After any workplace incident, there are several steps employers should take, regardless of severity.

Immediate priorities:
•  Ensure the casualty receives appropriate first aid and, if needed, is safely transferred to emergency care
•  Secure the scene if the incident involved equipment, machinery or a hazardous substance, to prevent a secondary incident

Documentation:
•  Record the incident in the organisation’s accident book, including the date, time, nature of the injury, circumstances and the names of any witnesses
•  The record should be made as soon as is reasonably practicable after the incident, while details are fresh

Reporting:
•  Assess whether the incident meets the threshold for reporting under RIDDOR — see below

Review:
• Once immediate matters have been addressed, review the circumstances to understand what happened, whether existing arrangements performed adequately and whether changes are needed

The HSE’s statistics consistently show that RIDDOR-reportable injuries are significantly under-reported, with current employer reporting levels estimated at around half of what should be reported. Failing to record and report incidents correctly is one of the most common enforcement issues the HSE encounters, and it is often symptomatic of broader weaknesses in first aid provision. Ensuring the accident book procedure is understood by all line managers, not just named first aiders, is a straightforward fix.

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It requires employers, self-employed persons and those in control of premises to report certain serious workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive.

Incidents that must be reported include:
•  Deaths of workers or members of the public arising from work-related accidents
•  Specified serious injuries to workers, including fractures (other than fingers, thumbs and toes), amputations, loss of sight, crush injuries to the head or torso, burns covering more than 10% of the body, and several other categories
•  Over-seven-day incapacitation injuries. Where an employee is unable to carry out their normal work for more than seven consecutive days following an incident (not counting the day of the accident itself)
•  Injuries to non-workers (members of the public or others not employed by the organisation) where the person is taken from the scene to the hospital
•  Diagnosed occupational diseases
•  Certain dangerous occurrences, even where no injury results

Reports are made to the HSE online or by telephone. Most specified injuries must be reported within 10 days. Over-seven-day incapacitation injuries must be reported within 15 days of the incident.

It is worth being clear on the scale of non-compliance here. The HSE’s own analysis estimates that only around half of RIDDOR-reportable non-fatal injuries to employees are actually being reported by employers. That is not a minor administrative gap, it represents thousands of unreported incidents every year, and it is a pattern the HSE is actively working to address. Failure to report a RIDDOR-reportable incident is a criminal offence.

Yes, and scenario-based learning is recognised as one of the most effective methods for building the kind of practical confidence that first aid training is supposed to produce.

The difference between a first aider who has worked through a realistic scenario involving a colleague in cardiac arrest and one who has only seen it demonstrated on a manikin is significant. The former has some psychological preparation for the reality of the situation. The latter may still hesitate at the critical moment.

Good scenario-based training reflects the actual working environment — the types of incidents that are plausible in that setting, the physical spaces where they might occur, and the procedures the organisation has in place. This is one of the most compelling arguments for in-house delivery over generic public courses. A scenario set in an office, a warehouse, a school or a care home will feel fundamentally different to one set in a generic training room with no connection to reality.

In our experience, scenario-based elements are among the parts of training that learners find most memorable and most useful. The skills stick because they have been practised in context, not just explained in theory.

Beyond legal compliance, workplace first aid training ensures that employees know how to respond if something goes wrong, and that the response is effective rather than panicked.

The legal argument is straightforward enough: the Regulations require it, and non-compliance carries real consequences including enforcement notices, prohibition orders, fines and, in cases where failures contribute to serious harm, potential prosecution.

But the human argument is, in our view, the more important one. Workplaces where staff are properly trained create an environment where people genuinely feel safer, not because the risk of something going wrong has been removed, but because they know that if it does, someone nearby has the knowledge and the confidence to help.

First aid training is not complicated. It is not expensive relative to the value it provides. And in the moments when it is needed, it is one of the most significant investments any employer can make.

Not as a fixed rule but as a practical matter, the answer for most multi-floor, multi-site or shift-based workplaces is yes.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require arrangements to be adequate and appropriate for the workplace. The HSE guidance is explicit that employers must consider the physical layout of the premises when determining provision. Having a trained first aider on one floor of a five-storey building, or covering only the day shift in an operation that runs round the clock, does not constitute adequate provision for the whole workplace.

In practical terms, employers should ask: if someone was seriously injured or became suddenly ill in any part of our premises, at any time we operate, how quickly could a trained first aider reach them? If the honest answer is “it could take several minutes” or “there might not be one available,” the needs assessment should reflect that.

Specific situations that commonly require more distributed provision include:
•  Multi-storey buildings: first aiders should be available on each floor or accessible within a reasonable response time from all areas
•  Split-site or multi-building operations: each location where staff are present needs to be covered, not just the main site
•  Shift work: cover must be available for every shift, including nights, weekends and early starts, not just standard working hours
•  Remote or isolated working areas: staff working in areas away from main buildings, in outdoor environments or in vehicles need consideration within the assessment

There is no prescribed response time in the Regulations, but the HSE guidance indicates that arrangements should ensure first aid is available promptly. In practice, most organisations aim for a trained first aider to be reachable within three to four minutes of any incident.

Maintaining clear, up-to-date records is one of the most straightforward ways for employers to demonstrate that their first aid arrangements are genuine rather than theoretical. If the HSE ever investigates an incident or conducts an inspection, the quality of your documentation will matter.

The records employers should maintain include:
•  First aid needs assessment. A written record of the assessment itself, the factors considered, the conclusions reached and the date it was conducted. This should be reviewed and re-dated whenever significant workplace changes occur or at regular intervals as a matter of good practice.
•  Training matrix. A log of all trained first aiders, the qualification they hold, the name of the training provider, the date of training and the certificate expiry date. This should be maintained actively, not just filed and forgotten. Many employers flag expiry dates three months in advance to allow time to arrange renewal training.
•  First aid kit inspection log. A dated record of each kit check, what was found, and what was replaced. This demonstrates that equipment is being maintained actively, not just installed and ignored.
•  Accident book. A record of all workplace incidents, including the date and time, the name of the person injured, the nature of the injury, the circumstances in which it occurred, the first aid treatment given and the name of the first aider who responded. The accident book must comply with GDPR requirements — records should be kept securely and not left accessible to other staff.
•  RIDDOR decision log. A brief record for each reportable incident, noting when it occurred, whether it met a RIDDOR reporting threshold, and if so, when and how it was reported. This protects employers in the event of a later query about whether a duty to report was recognised and acted on.
•  Staff communications records. Evidence that first aider names, kit locations and emergency procedures have been communicated to staff, such as a copy of a noticeboard notice, an induction checklist or a staff handbook section.

None of these records needs to be elaborate. The point is that they exist, they are current, and they accurately reflect what is actually in place. A well-maintained set of first aid records takes very little time to keep up and provides considerable protection for the employer if anything is ever called into question.