First Aid Needs Assessment: How to Do One (With Example)
Updated 26 October 2026 · 4 min read · Amber Training
Reviewed for accuracy by a qualified Amber Training first aid trainer.
A first aid needs assessment is how an employer decides what first aid cover is adequate and appropriate for their workplace, which is the test set by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. In practice it takes an hour: look at your hazards, your headcount, how and when people work, and how far you are from help, then decide how many first aiders you need, what level of training, and what equipment. Write it down, and review it when things change.
Here is the step-by-step version, followed by a worked example.
Step 1: Identify your hazards
Start with what could realistically go wrong. An office's main risks are slips and trips, minor cuts, and sudden illness such as fainting, a seizure or a cardiac arrest. Kitchens add burns and knife injuries; warehouses add manual handling, vehicles and falls from height; construction adds most of the above plus serious trauma. Your general risk assessment is the best starting point (see our risk assessment examples for six workplaces), and your accident book shows what has actually happened.
Step 2: Count your people, including the ones you forget
Count the maximum number of people on site at once, not the payroll figure. Include contractors, and consider visitors and members of the public: the law does not oblige you to provide first aid for them, but HSE strongly recommends including them in your planning.
Step 3: Map when and where people work
Shifts, early starts, weekends, split sites and multiple floors all matter. A first aider on the ground floor from nine to five does not cover a third-floor team working until eight. Hybrid working is the modern trap: a floor that looks covered on paper can have no first aider in on a Friday.
Step 4: Plan for absence
First aiders go on holiday, fall ill, and leave. HSE guidance expects cover to continue when they are away, which usually means training at least one more person than the minimum.
Step 5: Consider your location
How long would an ambulance take to reach you, and to reach the exact spot inside your building? Remote sites, large campuses and upper floors of busy buildings all argue for more first aiders and, often, a defibrillator.
Step 6: Decide numbers and training level
HSE's suggested starting points are a useful sense check (see how many first aiders you need). Lower-risk workplaces generally train first aiders in the one-day Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course; higher-risk workplaces generally need the three-day First Aid at Work (FAW) qualification.
Step 7: Decide equipment
At minimum, a stocked first aid kit sized to your workforce (see what a workplace kit should contain, or use our free first aid kit checklist). Add eye wash, travel kits or an AED where your assessment points to them.
Step 8: Record it and tell people
Write down what you decided and why, name your first aiders and kit locations, and tell staff how to get help. A one-page record is enough for most small and medium workplaces. Our free first aid needs calculator works through the numbers with you and prints a one-page record to keep, and our printable first aid needs assessment checklist covers every step above in one form.
Worked example: a London office
A 60-person office over two floors in central London, open 8am to 7pm, with around 70 per cent office attendance on a typical day.
- Hazards: low (office work, a small kitchen). Main risks: slips, minor cuts and burns, sudden illness.
- People: up to 45 on site at once, plus occasional visitors.
- Patterns: two floors; early and late workers; Fridays quieter.
- Absence: allow for holidays and the Friday dip.
- Location: central London, but upper floors add minutes before paramedics reach a casualty.
- Decision: four first aiders trained in Emergency First Aid at Work, two per floor, spread across early and late starters; one stocked kit per floor; the nearest public-access defibrillator mapped and recorded, with an in-office AED considered at the next review.
- Record: a one-page note of the above, first aider names and floors, kit locations, and a review date twelve months ahead.
A single on-site training day covers all four first aiders, with room to add a fifth if headcount grows.
Turn the assessment into cover
Once you know your numbers, the training is the easy part. We deliver Emergency First Aid at Work (£645 per session) and First Aid at Work (£1,595 per session) at your venue for up to 12 staff, all-inclusive.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice or a substitute for your own assessment. Book training. No payment until your booking is confirmed. Confirmation by email within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
What is a first aid needs assessment?
It is the process an employer uses to decide what first aid provision is adequate and appropriate for their workplace, as required by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. It considers your hazards, headcount, work patterns, absences, location and history of incidents, and sets how many first aiders you need, what training they need, and what equipment to keep.
Is a first aid needs assessment a legal requirement?
The regulations require every employer to provide adequate and appropriate first aid, and HSE guidance is clear that you decide what is adequate by assessing your needs. There is no prescribed form, but a short written record is the simplest way to show you have done it.
How often should I review a first aid needs assessment?
Review it whenever something significant changes (headcount, premises, shift patterns, the work itself, or a first aider leaving) and at least once a year as good practice.
Who should carry out the first aid needs assessment?
Usually the person responsible for health and safety in the business: an owner, office manager, HR lead or health and safety manager. You do not need a formal qualification to do it, but you do need to understand the work being done and who does it.
Book Emergency First Aid at Work for your team
Emergency First Aid at Work: 1 day at your venue, £645 per session for up to 12 staff, including trainer, equipment, certificates and travel.
Ofqual-regulated certificates. No payment until your booking is confirmed. Confirmation by email within one working day. Private sessions for your team, not public courses.