Do You Legally Need a First Aider at Work? UK Law Explained

Many London business owners assume workplace first aid is optional until they are inspected. It is not. UK law has required employers to provide first aid since 1981. Here is what you actually need to do.

The legal duty

Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, every employer must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people, so employees can be given immediate help if they are injured or taken ill at work.

This duty applies to all workplaces, including small businesses, shops and offices. The size of your business changes what is adequate, but it does not remove the duty.

What "adequate and appropriate" means

There is no one-size-fits-all rule. You must carry out a first aid needs assessment and provide cover that matches your risks. In practice, most workplaces need three things:

1. A suitably stocked first aid kit
2. An appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements
3. Trained first aiders where the assessment calls for them (holding EFAW or FAW certificates)

Do the self-employed need first aid?

If you are genuinely self-employed and working alone, you must still ensure you have adequate first aid provision for yourself while at work. If you employ anyone, the full duties apply.

What about mental health?

First aid law focuses on physical health, but HSE guidance encourages employers to consider mental health in their first aid needs assessment. Many London employers now train Mental Health First Aiders alongside physical first aiders as good practice.

The cost of getting it wrong

Failing to provide adequate first aid can contribute to enforcement action, and it leaves you exposed if an incident is handled badly. Training is inexpensive compared with the risk, and an EFAW course takes just one day.

How to become compliant quickly

The fastest route for most London workplaces is to:

• Complete a first aid needs assessment
• Stock an appropriate first aid kit
• Train at least one first aider (EFAW for low-risk, FAW for higher-risk)

We can help with the last step. Browse our Emergency First Aid at Work course and First Aid at Work course, check upcoming course dates, or get in touch to arrange training for your team.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Always base your provision on your own first aid needs assessment.