Table Of Content

HSC afety TO) ons I s TR~GSEieD? S a amma =h AVIATION 22501843066 Foust Cr RA.~ VA , Ul} AQA AGE e Tr- MA :b usty = += HSC Health & Safety Commission 10743 ASTIOeN SaER es First aid at work The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 ne ia». eS. i> ©] PRACTICE AND GUIDANCE L74 HSE BOOKS © Crown copyright 1997 Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to: Copyright Unit, Her Mayesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ First published 1997 ISBN 0 7176 1050 0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Both the Code and guidance in this publication give advice on how to comply with the Regulations, but there is an important distinction between them: This Code has been approved by the Health and Safety Commission, with the consent of the Secretary of State. It gives practical advice on how to comply with the law. If you follow the advice you will be doing enough to comply with the law in respect of those specific matters on which the Code gives advice. You may use alternative methods to those set out in the Code in order to comply with the law. However, the Code has a special legal status. If you are prosecuted for breach of health and safety law, and it is proved that you did not follow the relevant provisions of the Code, you will need to show that you have complied with the law in some other way or a Court will find you at fault. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance as illustrating good practice. Contents Notice of Approval iv Introduction | Regulation 1 Citation and commencement / Regulation 2 Interpretation / Regulation 3 Duty of employer to make provision for first-aid 2 Assessment of need 2 First-aid materials, equipment and facilities 6 First-aid personnel 9 Regulation 4 Duty of employer to inform his employees of the arrangements made in connection with first aid 12 Information for employees 12 Regulation 5 Duty of self-employed person to provide first-aid equipment /3 Duties of self-employed persons 13 Regulation 6 Power to grant exemptions 1/3 Regulation 7 Cases where these Regulations do not apply 13 Regulation 8 Application to mines /4 Regulation 9 Application offshore 14 Regulation 10 Repeals, revocations and modification 14 Schedule 1 Repeals 1/5 Schedule 2 Revocations 15 Appendix 1 Assessment of first-aid needs checklist 18 Appendix 2 First-aid competencies 20 Appendix 3 Addresses of HSE offices 21 Appendix 4 References 22 ili By virtue of section 16(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and with the consent of the Secretary of State for the Environment, the Health and Safety Commission has on 29 January 1997 approved the revised Code of Practice entitled First Aid at Work. The revised Approved Code of Practice gives practical guidance with respect to the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 (SI 1981 No 917). The revised Approved Code of Practice comes into effect on 14 March 1997 and on that date the 1990 edition of the Code of Practice shall cease to have effect. Signed T A GATES Secretary to the Health and Safety Commission 29 January 1997 iv Introduction 1 The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 set out the essential aspects of first aid that employers have to address. This publication has been prepared to help employers understand and comply with the Regulations and offers practical and realistic advice on what employers might do. Practical guidance on first aid in mines is given in a separate publication!. 2 This publication contains the Regulations themselves, an Approved Code of Practice and guidance. Paragraphs are marked to indicate which these are as follows: Regulation Approved Code of Practice Guidance Regulation 1 Citation and commencement Regulation 1 These Regulations may be cited as the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and shall come into operation on Ist Fuly 1982. Regulation 2 Interpretation Regulation (1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires - “first-aid” means - (a) imcases where a person will need help from a medical practitioner or nurse, treatment for the purpose of preserving life and minimising the consequences of injury and illness until such help 1s obtained, and (b) treatment of minor injuries which would otherwise receive no treatment or which do not need treatment by a medical practitioner or nurse; “mine” means a mine within the meaning of Section 180 of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954, (2) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to - (a) anumbered Regulation or Schedule ts a reference to the Regulation of, or Schedule to, these Regulations bearing that number; (6) anumbered paragraph ts a reference to the paragraph bearing that number in the Regulation in which the reference appears. (a) 1954 c.70; relevant amending instrument is SI 1974/2013. Definition of first aid 3 People at work can suffer injuries or fall ill. It doesn’t matter whether the injury or illness is caused by the work they do. It is important that they receive immediate attention and that an ambulance is called in serious cases. First aid can save lives and prevent minor injuries becoming major ones. First aid at work covers the arrangements that need to be made to ensure this happens, that is, the initial management of any injury or illness suffered at work. It does not include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness. The Regulations do not prevent staff who are specially trained to take action beyond the initial management stage from doing so. [ ition 3 Duty of employer to make provision for first-aid (1) An employer shall provide, or ensure that there are provided, such equipment and facilities as are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for enabling first-aid to be rendered to his employees tf they are injured or become ill at work. (2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), an employer shall provide, or ensure that there is provided, such number of suitable persons as 1s adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for rendering first-aid to his employees tf they are injured or become ill at work; and for this purpose a person shall not be suitable unless he has undergone - (a) such training and has such qualifications as the Health and Safety Executive may approve for the time being in respect of that case or class of case, and (b) such additional training, tf any, as may be appropriate in the circumstances of that case. (3) Where a person provided under paragraph (2) 1s absent in temporary and exceptional circumstances it shall be sufficient compliance with that paragraph tf the employer appoints a person, or ensures that a person 1s appointed, to take charge of - (a) the situation relating to an injured or ull employee who will need help from a medical practitioner or nurse, and (b) the equipment and facilities provided under paragraph (1) throughout the period of any such absence. (4) Where having regard to - (a) the nature of the undertaking, and (6) the number of employees at work, and | (c) the location of the establishment, it would be adequate and appropriate if instead of a person for rendering first-aid there was a person appointed to take charge as in paragraph (3) (a) and (6), then instead of complying with paragraph (2) the employer may appoint such a person, or ensure that such a person 1s appointed. Assessment of need 4 An employer should make an assessment of first-aid needs appropriate to the circumstances of each workplace. 5 The aim of first aid is to reduce the effects of injury or illness suffered at work, either caused by the work itself or by some factor outside the employer’s control. First-aid provision must be ‘adequate and appropriate in the circumstances’. This means that sufficient first-aid personnel and facilities should be available: @ to give immediate assistance to casualties with both common injuries or illness and those likely to arise from specific hazards at work; @ tosummon an ambulance or other professional help. Guidance 6 How much first-aid provision an employer has to make depends on the circumstances in each workplace. No fixed level exists but each employer needs to assess what facilities and personnel are appropriate. Where employers have an occupational health service or access to other occupational health advice, they might wish to delegate the responsibility for carrying out the assessment and advising on first-aid provision to that service or source of advice. ff The training and experience of: @ qualified medical doctors registered with the General Medical Council; and @ nurses whose names are registered in Part 1, 2, 10 or 11 of the Single Professional Register maintained by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting qualify them to administer first aid. Where such doctors and nurses are employed the employer may take that into account in determining first-aid provision and in particular the need for appointing first aiders. 8 Employers may need to justify on what grounds the level of first-aid provision has been set. Although there is no requirement for the assessment of first-aid needs to be formal or written, it may be useful for employers to record the results. 9 In assessing need, employers need to consider: @ =~ workplace hazards and risks; @ the size of the organisation; @ = the organisation’s history of accidents; @ = the nature and distribution of the workforce; @ =the remoteness of the site from emergency medical services; @ = the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers; @ employees working on shared or multi-occupied sites; @ annual leave and other absences of first aiders and appointed persons. Appendix 1 contains a checklist to help employers assess their first-aid needs. Nature of the work 10 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to health and safety of their employees at work to identify what measures they need to take to prevent or control these risks#>>. The information gathered from the risk assessment can help the employer to carry out the assessment of first-aid needs if control measures fail. Identifying the likely nature of the accident or injury will help the employer to work out the most appropriate type, quantity and location of first-aid facilities and personnel. 11 In organisations where the risk assessment identifies a comparatively low risk to health and safety, employers may only need to provide a clearly identified and suitably stocked first-aid container (see paragraphs 29-33) and 5 an appointed person to look after first-aid arrangements and take charge in emergencies (see paragraphs 58-61). 12 However, where the work involves particular risks, for example work with hazardous substances or with dangerous tools or machinery, first-aid needs will be greater. Employers may need to: @ provide a sufficient number of first aiders so that someone is always available to give first aid immediately following an incident (see paragraphs 44-55); @ train first aiders in special procedures (see paragraph 50); @ inform the local emergency services, in writing, of the site where hazardous substances or processes are in use; @ provide first-aid room(s) (see paragraphs 38-43). 13. In making first-aid provision employers will need to take account of the different risks in different parts of the establishment. For example, it is likely that, because of the variety of work carried out, separate risk assessments will have to be made for individual buildings or departments within a University complex. The results of these separate assessments need to be carried over in the assessment of first-aid needs. This will mean that greater provision of first- aid equipment, facilities and personnel will be needed in buildings with higher risk activities than in those with lower risk activities. It would not be appropriate to do a generic assessment of needs to cover a variety of activities. Size of the organisation 14 Generally the larger the workforce, the more first-aid provision is needed. However, employee numbers should never be the sole basis for determining first-aid needs; there may be greater risks when fewer people are at work, for example during maintenance. Employers should provide sufficient cover for the various circumstances that can occur. Past history and consequences of accidents 15 Incarrying out their assessment of first-aid needs, employers may find it useful to examine the number, type, frequency and consequences of accidents that have occurred in the past. For large multi-site organisations this information could be helpful in determining what first-aid materials and equipment are necessary, where first aiders should be located and what geographical area they should be required to cover. The nature and distribution of the workforce 16 ‘The particular needs of employees potentially at greater risk, for example young workers, trainees and some people with disabilities, will need to be addressed both as a group and as individuals. 17 Anemployer should consider how the size of the premises could affect quick access to first-aid facilities, for example whether additional first-aid provision is needed on a site with more than one building, or whether the distance between buildings is such that additional provision would be unnecessary. Employers with a multi-floor building should consider how many first aiders or appointed persons will be required to give adequate provision to each floor.