Health & Safety Update (October 2009)
Remember- the guidance for first aid has changed
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require
employers to ensure there are adequate and appropriate first aid
facilities for their employees in the event of an injury or illness
at work. This includes suitably trained personnel to respond
in a first aid emergency and suitable equipment. The detailed
requirements for each workplace are to be determined by an
assessment of first aid needs conducted by the employer.
An HSE review of the 1981 Regulations which took place in 2005
found there was an identified need to update the first aid
training requirements.
The new training regime for first aiders in the workplace was
implemented on 1 October 2009.
Key points
- new training course rules were implemented 1 October 2009;
- there are now two courses- a six-hour (minimum) emergency first
aid at work (EFAW) or an 18-hour (minimum) first aid at work (FAW)
course. After three years, first aiders will need to complete
another course (either a six-hour EFAW or 12-hour FAW
re-qualification course, as appropriate) to obtain a new
certificate;
- existing qualified first-aiders only have to take part in the
new training regime once their current HSE certificate
expires;
- annual refresher training is not mandatory, although it is
strongly recommended;
- EFAW and FAW cannot be combined and should be treated as
separate courses;
- the new 18-hour FAW course can be run over a period no longer
than ten weeks;
- the EFAW training does not take over from the role of the
appointed person, which will remain, and there will be no
regulatory requirement for such personnel to undertake first aid
training. Organisations will not need HSE approval to offer
appointed persons basic first aid training;
- organisations already running an approved HSE course will get
authorisation to run the new FAW and EFAW courses.
The message to businesses is simple - carry out a risk
assessment based on actual needs, which covers things like the
common injuries that happen in your workplace, then arrange the
training. It has never been easier to comply and protect both your
workforce and your finances. The aim of the change is to save
businesses time and money without compromising health and safety.
The new guidelines were produced on the back of extensive
consultation with and feedback from employers across the UK, who
recognised the need for first-aid training but often found it
difficult to release employees for the necessary four days.
Savings in the first year of the new regime are estimated by the
HSE to be £52 million.
The new guidance strongly suggests that refresher training taken
annually would be beneficial to first-aiders and their employers,
with staff feeling better placed to deal with an incident in their
workplace.
Please read legal information.