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When it comes to keeping your employees safe in the workplace, prevention is always better than cure - but at the same time, accidents will always happen, and it is important to have the right first aid equipment and measures in place to ensure that those affected receive the attention they need.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) reports that 1.7 million working people suffered from a work-related illness during 2020-21, with a further 441,000 working people sustaining an injury at work. Having the right first aid equipment on site means that these illnesses and injuries can be prevented from getting worse, reducing the overall level of risk and potentially saving lives.
As such, every workplace needs to be aware of their first aid requirements, and make sure they plan proactively to equip their site with the right facilities to keep everyone adequately protected on site.
As a basic rule, every workplace needs to have the following first aid provisions in place in order to stay compliant with the law:
These basics apply to every business, but the quantity of these first aid provisions will naturally vary depending on the size of the organisation, as well as the level of risk involved in the work.
Workplace risk level
Number of employees
First aid kit required
Low-hazard environments (such as offices and retail premises)
1 to 24
1 small kit
25 to 100
1 medium kit
More than 100
1 large kit per 100 employees
Hazardous environments (such as warehouses, engineering premises, construction sites,
and locations with dangerous equipment and chemicals)
1 to 4
1 small kit
5 to 25
1 medium kit
More than 25
1 large kit per 25 employees
Workplace risk level
Number of employees
First aiders required
Low-hazard environments (such as offices and retail premises)
1 to 50
At least one member of staff with first aid responsibilities
50 to 100
At least one specially trained first aider
More than 100
One trained first aider for every 100 members of staff
Medium-hazard environments (such as engineering sites, warehouses, food processing premises etc)
1 to 20
At least one member of staff with first aid responsibilities
20 to 50
At least one specially trained first aider
More than 50
One trained first aider for every 50 members of staff
Hazardous environments (such as construction sites and locations with dangerous equipment
and chemicals etc)
1 to 5
At least one member of staff with first aid responsibilities
5 to 50
At least one specially trained first aider
More than 50
One trained first aider for every 50 members of staff
Workplace first aid kits are stocked according to one of two safety standards. The basic HSE-compliant first aid kit contains the following items:
British Standard (BS) kits are the recommended kit standard for most workplaces, and contain a more comprehensive set of equipment and supplies, including:
BS kits are often available in specific configurations designed for the needs of particular applications, including personal injury kits, critical injury kits and travel/motoring kits.
In addition to standard first aid equipment, more and more businesses are becoming aware of the benefits of also investing in AED equipment for their site. It is not currently a legal requirement to have an AED on site, but these tools can deliver a wide variety of benefits regardless of this.
Cardiac emergencies can happen at any time, in any line of work, and having an AED installed can be the difference between life and death. They are designed for ease of use by individuals with no medical training, allowing them to administer shocks to people suffering a cardiac arrest or similar emergency. These tools function by first analysing whether the patient in question has a “shockable” heart rhythm, and will not work if this is not the case, meaning they are almost impossible to use incorrectly.
Although a certain amount of guidance or training is still recommended before using an AED, their user-friendly design means that they are widely seen as a valuable and lifesaving addition to any first aid setup.
In addition to standard first aid equipment, more and more businesses are becoming aware of the benefits of also investing in AED equipment for their site. It is not currently a legal requirement to have an AED on site, but these tools can deliver a wide variety of benefits regardless of this.
Cardiac emergencies can happen at any time, in any line of work, and having an AED installed can be the difference between life and death. They are designed for ease of use by individuals with no medical training, allowing them to administer shocks to people suffering a cardiac arrest or similar emergency. These tools function by first analysing whether the patient in question has a “shockable” heart rhythm, and will not work if this is not the case, meaning they are almost impossible to use incorrectly.
Although a certain amount of guidance or training is still recommended before using an AED, their user-friendly design means that they are widely seen as a valuable and lifesaving addition to any first aid setup.
One of the key considerations when equipping your site with essential first aid supplies is making sure that staff and site visitors are able to find this equipment when an emergency arises, as well as ensuring that they are able to understand what procedures they should be following.
First aid points can play a key role in this. These wall-mounted boards allow you to consolidate all of your first aid supplies - including your first aid kit, burns kit, eye wash solutions and AED - in the same place, with a high-impact visual design. In addition to wall-mounted options, free-standing site boards for first aid equipment are also available.
First aid points deliver the following benefits:
By investing in the right equipment at the right time, you can ensure that you are meeting all of the necessary legal requirements around workplace first aid, and take a significant step towards keeping all of your employees and site visitors safe and protected.