HSE Seeks Feedback on First Aid at Work Regulations

Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, every employer - and every self-employed person too - has a duty to make provision for first aid in their workplace. The HSE has now published a discussion document seeking opinions on the regulation of first-aid at work.

The discussion document addresses questions such as - is the current legislation the most appropriate and cost effective way of delivering first-aid provision to employees? And why are many employers experiencing challenges in understanding their duties under the Regulations?

There is no legal requirement for employers to make any provision for members of the public or others on their premises. However, with an increasing number of "public areas" such as shopping centres or transport interchanges, there is confusion among employers and the public about whether there is or should be any legal responsibility to provide first-aid to other than employees.

This is the first full review of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. An Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and HSE guidance support the Regulations. The ACoP was revised in 1990 and again in 1997 to simplify the structure, clarify the requirements and to give employers more flexibility to make their own assessment of first-aid needs and provision.

The discussion document can be found on the HSE website:
www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htm

In January 2003 HSE published the results of research that gave valuable insights into how employers currently meet their obligations and also workplace attitudes on the effectiveness of the current legislation.

The research report can also be downloaded free of charge from HSE:
www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/

A topic page including frequently asked questions can be found on the HSE first-aid website at:
www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/
This document is for general guidance and research purposes only, and does not purport to give professional advice. Please check the date at the top of the article; the Workplace Law Network retains historic articles for general research.