Training organisations need to gain HSE approval and comply with first-aid law. You will find advice here on employers' legal duties in first-aid training, as well as summaries of the courses available and extra requirements for training in offshore work and diving.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide suitable first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel so that immediate assistance can be given to employees if they are injured or become ill at work. Regulation 3(2) states that in order to provide first aid to injured or ill employees, a person isn't suitable unless they have undergone:
Detailed information can be found in First aid at work. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
If an employer has identified that first-aiders are needed in their workplace, they must have a valid certificate of competence in first aid at work (FAW) or emergency first aid at work (EFAW):
The findings of the first-aid needs assessment can help employers decide whether their first-aiders should be trained in FAW or EFAW. As a guide, the table in First aid at work: your questions answered suggests what first-aid personnel to provide under different circumstances. Employers can also use the new First aid at work assessment tool which is designed to help employers determine the number and type of first-aid personnel to provide in their workplace.
FAW courses involve at least 18 hours of training and are run over a minimum of three days. Training organisations offering the course need to be approved by HSE for this purpose. EFAW lasts for at least six hours of training and is run over a minimum of one day. It can be offered by training organisations approved by HSE or recognised awarding bodies of Ofqual/Scottish Qualifications Authority applying a training standard set by HSE for the delivery of EFAW.
FAW and EFAW certificates last for three years. Before their certificates expire, first-aiders will need to undertake an FAW requalification course or an EFAW course, as appropriate, to obtain another three-year certificate.
HSE strongly recommends that first-aiders undertake annual refresher training, over half a day, during any three-year FAW/EFAW certification period. Although not mandatory, this will help qualified first-aiders maintain their basic skills and keep up to date with any changes to first-aid procedures. The training organisations referred to above can run annual refresher courses.
FAW/EFAW certificates are only valid for regulatory purposes if they have been issued for training carried out in Great Britain. If a certificate has been issued for FAW/EFAW training conducted in another country, the certificate will not be valid in Great Britain.
HSE does not run training courses but does approve training organisations that meet the required standard for FAW training. This work is conducted by the First Aid Approval and Monitoring Section (FAAMS) of HSE's Corporate Medical Unit.
New training providers that wish to start running FAW courses need to apply to FAAMS for approval. Applicants need to complete an Original Approval Questionnaire . Applicants will also have to read and fulfil the requirements of the associated guidance First-aid training and qualifications for the purposes of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981: A guide for training organisations .
Gaining HSE's approval allows training providers to run FAW and EFAW courses. The approval does not extend to other types of first-aid training.
Training organisations wishing to run EFAW courses only, not FAW, should apply for approval to an appropriate awarding body eligible to award an accredited qualification in EFAW using a training standard set by HSE.
Under the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations, HSE charges fees, which are reviewed each year, for the various elements of the approval and monitoring process. The fees for 2012/13 are:
| New FAW approval | £1693 |
| Post-approval monitoring visit | £576 |
| Renewal of Certificate of Approval | £117 |
HSE's logo is a registered trade mark under the Trade Marks Act 1994. Its misuse constitutes a criminal offence. HSE-approved training organisations should not use it on any material, including certificates or websites.
The training objectives for offshore medics and first-aiders are set out in Health care and first aid on offshore installations and pipeline works L123. This also provides guidance on the roles and responsibilities of offshore medics and first-aiders and the types of secondary roles that are suitable.
New training providers that wish to start running offshore first aid and/or offshore medic courses need to apply for approval to the First Aid Approval and Monitoring Section (FAAMS) of HSE's Corporate Medical Unit. Applicants need to complete an Original Approval Questionnaire and also need to read and fulfil the requirements of the associated guidance:
HSE's web pages on diving include information on first-aid training for divers.
Details of diver medic courses are available from the International Marine Contractors Association .
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