How many first aiders does my workplace need?

The short answer

There is no single number set in law. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require every employer to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people. What counts as adequate and appropriate is decided by your own first aid needs assessment.

HSE publishes suggested numbers of first aiders as a starting point, and they're set out below. But your written needs assessment is what shows that your cover is right for your workplace.

What the law actually requires

Equipment: a suitably stocked first aid kit as a minimum. HSE doesn't set a mandatory contents list. British Standard BS 8599-1 is a widely used guide to what a kit should contain.

Facilities: a first aid room where your assessment shows you need one, which is more likely on larger or higher-hazard sites.

People: at least an appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements, and trained first aiders where your assessment shows they're needed. You must also tell your employees what the arrangements are, who the first aiders are and where to find the kit.

The regulations don't oblige you to provide first aid for people who aren't your employees. HSE strongly recommends that you include visitors and members of the public in your assessment, which matters for shops, venues, schools and any site with contractors.

Doing your first aid needs assessment

Work through these questions and write the answers down. How hazardous is the work? Offices, shops and libraries are lower hazard. Construction, manufacturing, warehousing, kitchens, and work with machinery, chemicals or at height are higher hazard. How many people work here, and how are they spread across floors, buildings and sites? Do people work shifts, evenings or weekends, alone, or away from base? What does your accident book show? Do any staff have health conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy or severe allergies that you should plan for? How far are you from emergency services, and how easy is your site for an ambulance crew to find and get into?

Then plan for absence. Your first aiders take annual leave, get ill and work hybrid patterns. Cover that only works when everyone is in isn't adequate cover.

Since 2018, HSE's guidance on the regulations has also asked employers to consider mental ill health alongside physical injury and illness. There's no legal requirement to have trained Mental Health First Aiders. Your assessment should still say how you'll support someone in mental health crisis at work.

HSE's suggested numbers

Lower-hazard workplaces: fewer than 25 employees, at least one appointed person; 25 to 50 employees, at least one first aider trained in Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW); more than 50 employees, at least one First Aid at Work (FAW) first aider for every 100 employees or part thereof.

Higher-hazard workplaces: fewer than 5 employees, at least one appointed person; 5 to 50 employees, at least one EFAW or FAW first aider, depending on the type of injuries that might occur; more than 50 employees, at least one FAW first aider for every 50 employees or part thereof.

"Or part thereof" means you round up, so a lower-hazard office with 101 staff needs at least two FAW first aiders on these figures.

Why the table is only a starting point

Take an office of 70 people across three floors, open from 8am to 7pm, with most staff working hybrid. The table suggests one FAW first aider. That one person is away for several weeks a year, is only in the office some days, and sits on one floor. A more realistic plan might be two FAW first aiders plus an EFAW first aider on each floor, with a rota to make sure someone trained is in on every office day.

Or take a warehouse with 40 staff split across two shifts. The table suggests at least one EFAW or FAW first aider. Every shift needs its own cover, though, and risks such as forklift and crush injuries point towards FAW. A sensible plan might be at least one FAW first aider per shift, plus a trained deputy for holidays.

These are illustrations, not prescriptions. Your own assessment decides the answer.

Appointed person, EFAW or FAW?

An appointed person takes charge when someone is injured or falls ill, looks after the first aid kit and calls the emergency services. The role doesn't legally require formal training. An appointed person is not a first aider and shouldn't give treatment they aren't trained for, although a short course helps them act with confidence.

Emergency First Aid at Work is a one-day course. It covers CPR and defibrillator use, choking, serious bleeding, shock, the unresponsive casualty and minor injuries.

First Aid at Work is a three-day course. It adds fractures, head and spinal injuries, burns, chest and eye injuries, poisoning, and medical emergencies such as asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetic emergencies, heart attack, stroke and seizures.

Both certificates last three years. FAW first aiders can usually requalify on a shorter two-day course if they do it before their certificate expires. HSE also strongly recommends an annual refresher, because CPR skills fade quickly without practice.

Kit, defibrillators and records

Check first aid kits regularly and replace used or out-of-date items. Put up notices saying who your first aiders are and where the kit is. Record incidents in your accident book, and check whether an incident needs reporting to HSE under RIDDOR.

There's no general legal requirement for workplaces to have a defibrillator (AED), but having one gives someone in cardiac arrest a far better chance. If you have one, register it on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, so that 999 call handlers can direct people to it.

Common gaps in workplace first aid cover

A single first aider who works part-time or is often off site. Certificates that lapsed without anyone noticing. Staff who don't know who the first aiders are. Kits with missing or out-of-date items. Cover that's planned for the office but not for evening events, off-site work or lone workers.

Each of these is easy to fix once it's spotted. A yearly review of your needs assessment, matched against your training records, catches most of them.

Need a hand?

Try the first aider calculator on our home page for a quick starting figure, or book a free 15-minute call. We'll help you work out the right mix of EFAW and FAW for your team and train them on site.