First Aid Requirements for a Small Business in the UK
If you run a small business in the UK, first aid is not optional. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 place a legal duty on every employer to make adequate first-aid provision for their employees. "Adequate" is not a fixed number — it depends on what your risk assessment tells you about your specific workplace.
What the Law Actually Requires
Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, you must provide:
- Adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities to give first aid to employees who are injured or become ill at work.
- A suitable number of suitable persons to administer first aid — or, where that is not practicable, an appointed person to take charge of the situation.
- Information to employees about the arrangements in place, including where the kit is and who the first aider or appointed person is.
The HSE's accompanying guidance (L74) is the practical reference point for how you meet those duties. It does not set a mandatory ratio, but it does set out factors you must consider.
Start With a Risk Assessment
Your first aid needs assessment is the mechanism that determines what provision is proportionate for your business. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (regulation 3), you already have a duty to assess risks to your workers. Your first aid assessment builds on that.
Key factors to consider:
- The nature of your work — a joinery workshop carries different risks from a two-person accountancy office.
- The size and composition of your workforce — numbers on site at any one time, shift patterns, lone workers, and any workers with known medical conditions.
- Your location — how far are you from emergency services? A remote rural site warrants more on-site provision than a premises two minutes from an A&E.
- Workplace layout — do workers operate across multiple floors or separate buildings?
Appointed Person vs. First Aider — What Is the Difference?
These are not interchangeable terms.
| Role | What they can do | Training required |
|---|---|---|
| Appointed Person | Takes charge in an emergency, calls 999, looks after the kit. Cannot administer first aid beyond basic help. | No formal first-aid training required by law, though basic awareness is strongly advised. |
| First Aider (FAW) | Administers first aid for a full range of injuries and illnesses. | HSE-compliant First Aid at Work (FAW) course — three days, renewed every three years. |
| Emergency First Aider at Work (EFAW) | Administers first aid for common emergencies (CPR, bleeding, choking, recovery position). | One-day course, renewed every three years. |
For a genuinely low-risk small office with a handful of employees and good access to emergency services, an appointed person plus an EFAW-trained individual is often a reasonable and proportionate outcome from the needs assessment. A higher-risk workplace — construction, woodworking, catering, vehicle repair — will normally require at least one FAW-qualified person on site whenever work is taking place.
What Should Your First-Aid Kit Contain?
There is no single legally prescribed list. The HSE guidance suggests a minimum kit for a low-hazard workplace with fewer than 25 employees should include:
- A leaflet giving general first-aid guidance
- 20 individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings (assorted sizes)
- Two sterile eye pads
- Four individually wrapped triangular bandages (preferably sterile)
- Six safety pins
- Three pairs of disposable gloves
- Six medium-sized individually wrapped sterile unmedicated wound dressings
- Two large sterile individually wrapped unmedicated wound dressings
- One pair of disposable scissors
Tablets, medicines, and antiseptic creams should not be kept in a standard first-aid kit. The kit must be clearly signed, readily accessible, and regularly checked to ensure nothing is expired or missing.
Lone Workers and Remote Sites
If any of your workers operate alone — whether visiting client premises, working on a remote site, or closing up a unit solo — your needs assessment must address them specifically. A lone worker cannot rely on a colleague to call for help. Practical controls might include a personal first-aid kit, a mobile communication protocol, or a check-in arrangement.
Do the Regulations Cover Visitors and Members of the Public?
The First Aid Regulations 1981 impose duties only in relation to employees. There is no legal duty under these regulations to provide first aid to customers, visitors, or members of the public. However, if your workplace is open to the public, the HSE strongly encourages you to make provision for them as well — and other legislation, including general duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, underpins a broad duty of care.
Keeping Your Provision Current
First aid arrangements are not a one-off exercise. Review your provision:
- When your workforce size or composition changes significantly.
- When you introduce new processes or equipment that alter the risk profile.
- When a first aider's certificate approaches its three-year renewal date — FAW and EFAW qualifications lapse if not renewed in time, leaving a gap in your legal provision.
Document your needs assessment and the decisions it leads to. If the HSE or an enforcement officer asks why you have the provision you have, a written record of your reasoning is far more defensible than an undocumented assumption.