First aid needs assessment checklist (free, printable)
A step-by-step checklist for HR and office managers carrying out a workplace first aid needs assessment. Tick off each factor HSE asks you to consider, add your notes, then record your decisions on first aiders, training, kits, AEDs and the review date.
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First aid needs assessment checklist
Based on HSE L74, First aid at work: The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, Guidance on Regulations. From ambertraining.co.uk/tools/first-aid-needs-assessment-checklist
About this assessment
Part A: factors to consider
HSE L74 lists these as the things to think about when deciding what first aid provision you need. Tick each point once you have considered it and note what you found.
1. Nature of the work and workplace hazards
Start with the hazards and risks your risk assessments have already identified. Higher-hazard work usually needs more first aiders, a higher level of training and more equipment.
2. Size of the organisation and number of employees
Count the people at work at the same time, not just the total on the payroll. HSE L74 suggests minimum numbers of first aiders by headcount and hazard level.
3. History of accidents and ill health
Your own records show what actually happens at your workplace and where first aid is most likely to be needed.
4. Travelling, remote and lone workers
Employers remain responsible for staff who work away from the main site, alone or on the road.
5. Shifts and out of hours working
First aid cover is needed whenever employees are at work, not only during office hours.
6. Distribution of the workforce and premises
Where people are spread across floors, buildings or sites, one first aider may not be able to reach everyone quickly.
7. Remoteness from emergency medical services
If an ambulance would take longer to arrive, first aiders may need to manage a casualty for longer.
8. Shared or multi-occupied sites
Employers on the same site can agree to share first aid provision, but each employer stays responsible for its own staff.
9. Annual leave and absences of first aiders
Plan for first aiders being on holiday, off sick, on training or otherwise away.
10. Non-employees and members of the public
The regulations do not require first aid for non-employees, but HSE strongly recommends including them in your assessment.
Part B: what you have decided
Record the outcome of your assessment. HSE expects your provision to be adequate and appropriate for the factors in Part A.
Not sure how many first aiders you need? Use the first aid needs calculator, then record the result in Part B.
General guidance based on HSE L74. It is not legal advice; your own assessment of your workplace decides what you need. Free to use and share with a link to ambertraining.co.uk/tools/first-aid-needs-assessment-checklist. Amber Training Ltd.
Download and share
Prefer paper? Download the PDF of the blank checklist to print and complete by hand.
Free to use and share with a link to this page. HR teams, safety consultants and trade bodies are welcome to send it to their members or include it in staff handbooks.
Source: HSE L74, First aid at work: The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, Guidance on Regulations.
How to use the checklist
- Gather your risk assessments, accident book, staff numbers by shift and a list of current first aiders with their certificate dates.
- Work through Part A, ticking each point once you have considered it and noting what you found.
- Use the first aid needs calculator for a starting number of first aiders or appointed persons, then adjust it for the factors in Part A.
- Record your decisions in Part B, set a review date, and tell your employees about the arrangements.
Training your first aiders
If your assessment shows you need trained first aiders, we run private courses for up to 12 of your staff at your own workplace. Certificates are FAA Level 3 Awards, Ofqual-regulated and valid for three years.
- Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day), for lower-hazard workplaces.
- First Aid at Work (3 days), for larger workplaces and where the injuries that might occur call for it.
Common questions
What is a first aid needs assessment?
It is how an employer decides what first aid provision is adequate and appropriate for its workplace, as the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require. HSE's guidance, L74, says to consider the nature of the work and its hazards, the size of the organisation, your accident history, travelling, remote and lone workers, shift patterns, how the workforce is spread across premises, distance from emergency medical services, shared sites, first aider absences and whether to cover non-employees.
Is a first aid needs assessment a legal requirement?
The regulations require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people. HSE's guidance says the way to decide what is adequate and appropriate is to carry out an assessment of first aid needs. There is no set form, so a checklist like this one is a practical way to show you have done it.
Does the assessment have to be written down?
The law does not say it must be written down, but keeping a record makes it easier to show how you reached your decisions, to brief new managers and to review it later. This checklist prints with your notes and decisions, or you can save it as a PDF.
How often should we review our first aid needs assessment?
HSE does not set a fixed interval. Review it regularly, and whenever something changes: new hazards, more staff, new or extra premises, different working hours, or after a significant incident. Many employers review it once a year and set the date in Part B of the checklist.
Do we need Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work?
Your assessment decides. As a starting point, HSE suggests lower-hazard workplaces need at least an appointed person below 25 employees, at least one Emergency First Aid at Work first aider from 25 to 50, and at least one First Aid at Work first aider for every 100 employees above 50. Higher-hazard workplaces need an appointed person below 5 employees, at least one Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work first aider from 5 to 50 (depending on the injuries that might occur), and at least one First Aid at Work first aider for every 50 employees above 50. The first aid needs calculator on this site works through the numbers.
Do we have to provide a defibrillator (AED)?
No law requires a workplace to have an AED. HSE's guidance says employers may wish to consider providing one as part of their needs assessment, which is why it is included in Part B.
Sources
- HSE, L74 First aid at work: The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, Guidance on Regulations
- HSE, First aid in work: assess what your business needs
- The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
This tool gives general guidance based on the sources above. It is not legal advice, and your own assessment of your workplace decides what you need.
Need first aid training for your team?
We train up to 12 of your staff at your own premises, anywhere in England. Fixed prices, no payment to book.