Do You Have a First Aid Risk Assessment?

As an employer you must consider the health and safety of all your workers, which includes taking a risk assessment of all aspects, including your First Aid needs.

As per the Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their workplace in the event of an employee being taken ill or injured. Employers must determine what is an adequate and appropriate level of cover for First Aid equipment and personnel for their workplace, which can be done using a First Aid needs assessment, also known as the First Aid risk assessment.

What Needs to be Considered in your First Aid Risk Assessment?

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) suggests the following factors:

• The nature of your work.

• Workplace hazards and risks.

• The nature and size of your workforce.

• Work patterns of your staff.

• Cover for First Aid trained staff on holidays and absences.

• The organisation's history of accidents or incidents.

• The mental well-being of your staff members.

The Nature of your Work

Start by considering the nature of your workplace and whether there is a higher risk of injury or illness. For example, an office or a library would be relatively low risk compared to a factory or construction site. This can be a jumping-on point for considering what specific hazards and risks there are within the workplace.

Workplace Hazards and Risks

What hazards are there within your workplace? Do employees use heavy machinery? Are there sharp objects around? What about dangerous substances, including boiling water and steam? Take a walk around your workplace and write down anything and everything that could potentially cause injury or illness.

The Nature and Size of your Workforce

What do your employees do within your workplace? Do you have some working behind a desk and others on a building site? How many staff members do you have? Consider an emergency incident where somebody is taken ill or injured, would you have enough staff members to support the casualty until help arrives?

Work Patterns of your Staff

If your staff work in shifts you must ensure there is cover at all times, including any transition time between shifts. If any staff work at night you should also consider the extra hazards involved, including reduced visibility.

Cover for Holidays and Absences

Don't just have one appointed person/First Aider - if they are sick or go on annual leave there would be nobody trained to give First Aid if an accident or incident were to happen!

History of Accidents and Incidents

Read through your accident/incident report logs - are there any common injuries or reported hazards? Do any staff members have medical conditions that First Aiders should be aware of?

Mental Well-being

What does your workplace do to combat workplace stress? How would the role of an appointed person/First Aider affect their mental health? Consider additional Mental Health First Aid training to support this.

Other Considerations

• Do any of your workers work remotely or alone?

• Do they work on multiple sites or shared sites?

• How remote is your site for emergency services to access?

• What provisions do you have for any members of the public?

What Next?

Now you have identified the potential risks and hazards within your workplace you can now determine what First Aid provisions you should put in place to protect your workers.

You will need a sufficient amount of First Aid equipment to treat any potential injuries you have identified in your risk assessment. The HSE recommend your First Aid kits meet the BS 8599-1 standard, which you can then add to as per your risk assessment.

You will also need a sufficient number of First Aid personnel trained to the appropriate level. For more information on this, you can read our handy guide here.

Remember to review your risk assessments regularly! You should review this yearly, and/or after a serious incident occurs within the workplace.

If you have any further questions about First Aid for your workplace, please visit our website www.berkshirefirstaid.com or you can email us on enquiries@berkshirefirstaid.com, our office team are always happy to help answer any questions you may have.