First aid

You need to assess your first-aid requirements to help you decide what equipment and facilities you need, and how many first-aid personnel you should provide. The minimum first-aid provision in any workplace is:

• a suitably stocked first-aid box
• an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements

You also need to put up notices telling your employees where they can find:

• the first-aiders or appointed persons
• the first-aid box

Your assessment may also indicate that you should provide a first-aid room, particularly where your work involves certain hazards, including some of those found in chemical industries and on large construction sites.

If you are self-employed you should have equipment to be able to provide first aid to yourself at work. You should make an assessment of the hazards and risks in your workplace and establish an appropriate level of first-aid provision.

If you carry out low-risk activities (eg clerical work) in your own home, you only need to provide first-aid equipment appropriate to your normal domestic needs. If your work involves driving long distances or you are continuously on the road, your assessment may identify the need to keep a personal first-aid kit in your vehicle.

Find out more

See our first aid site