Kursy pierwszej pomocy

Start with a First Aid needs assessment

What could realistically happen at your workplace? How quickly could somebody reach an injured person? Would the same arrangements work at 7am, during a night shift and when the usual first aider is on holiday? These questions are far more useful than choosing a qualification by name alone.

A good first aid needs assessment should consider the real working environment rather than an ideal version of it. HSE guidance tells employers to look beyond employee numbers and consider hazards, accident history, working patterns, the physical layout of the premises and access to professional emergency help.

• Consider the hazards and risks created by the work itself. Machinery, sharp equipment, work at height, vehicles, electricity, hazardous substances and other activities can change the injuries a first aider may need to manage.
• Look at how many people are actually present during each working period. A daytime headcount tells you very little if part of your operation also runs evenings, nights or weekends.
• Review previous accidents, incidents and patterns of ill health. What has already happened can reveal whether your existing provision matches the problems people genuinely face.
• Take account of lone, mobile and remote workers. A first aid box in the main office will not solve much when somebody is working alone elsewhere.
• Think about distance and access to emergency medical services. Large sites, remote projects and difficult access routes can all affect the response plan.
• Include planned and unexpected absence. Annual leave, sickness and changing shifts should not leave the workplace without the provision identified as necessary.
• Consider visitors, contractors and members of the public. HSE strongly recommends including non employees when assessing first aid arrangements even though the First Aid Regulations do not impose the same duty towards them.
• Consider employees with particular physical or mental health needs. HSE guidance now expressly reminds employers to include mental health when reviewing first aid needs.

How many First Aiders might a workplace need?

There is no single statutory ratio that works for every business. HSE nevertheless provides a useful decision framework in Appendix 3 of its First Aid at Work guidance. It separates lower hazard and higher hazard workplaces and then considers employee numbers.

First Aid on a construction site needs a closer look

A construction site changes from week to week. Excavations appear and disappear. Plant arrives. Subcontractors move in. Access routes change. One phase may involve relatively straightforward groundworks while another introduces lifting operations, confined spaces or extensive work at height.

This is exactly why a construction business should not treat First Aid provision as a document that gets completed once and forgotten. Review it when the workforce, activities, layout or foreseeable injuries change.

What should modern First Aid training reflect in 2026?

First Aid is practical training. Somebody may understand a presentation perfectly and still struggle when the situation suddenly becomes real. This is why current standards, practical assessment and repeated practice matter.

The Health and Safety Executive states that FAW and EFAW training should follow currently accepted first aid practice, including current guidance from the Resuscitation Council UK. The organisation published its latest UK resuscitation guidelines in 2025.

For an employer, the practical question is therefore not merely whether a course has the right title. Ask whether learners actually demonstrate competence, whether practical elements are directly assessed and whether teaching follows current accepted UK first aid practice.

How can you check a First Aid training provider?

There is an important detail that is surprisingly easy to miss. HSE no longer approves individual First Aid training providers or First Aid qualifications in Great Britain. The approval requirement was removed in 2013. Employers therefore have responsibility for selecting a competent provider and, where necessary, carrying out appropriate due diligence.

So what should you look for before booking?

• The trainers and assessors should be appropriately qualified and competent.
• The organisation should have suitable quality assurance arrangements.
• The syllabus should meet the required content and duration for the qualification being delivered.
• FAW and EFAW content should follow currently accepted First Aid practice.
• Practical competence should be properly assessed. HSE strongly recommends direct observation of practical elements.
• Blended learning needs proper controls. HSE accepts a mix of elearning and face to face training for workplace First Aid where appropriate, but sufficient classroom time and practical assessment still have to be provided.
• The certificate should contain the information expected for the qualification. For FAW and EFAW this includes the candidate, training organisation, qualification, commencement date and three year validity.

This is a much better way to assess training than looking for an outdated statement that a provider is simply “HSE approved”.

What happens when a First Aid certificate is getting older?

Passing a course is not the end of the story. Skills such as CPR are rarely used during an ordinary working day, which is exactly why they can become less familiar over time.

Existing First Aiders can find further details about our First Aid Refresher Course oraz First Aid at Work Requalification course.

Paediatric First Aid and the current EYFS requirements

Paediatric First Aid needs to be considered separately from ordinary workplace First Aid. This is particularly important for nurseries, early years settings, childminders and schools because the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework sets specific requirements in England.

The current EYFS frameworks took effect on 1 September 2026. For group and school based early years providers, at least one person holding a current certificate from a full Paediatric First Aid course consistent with Annex A must be on the premises and available whenever children are present. A person meeting that requirement must also accompany children on outings.

Paediatric First Aid certification under the EYFS must be renewed every three years. The framework also requires suitable equipment to allow trainees to practise and demonstrate techniques with baby and junior models.

For relevant options on this website, see our Kurs pierwszej pomocy pediatrycznej oraz Mieszany kurs pierwszej pomocy pediatrycznej. Before booking training for professional childcare purposes, confirm that the chosen delivery format meets the statutory requirements applying to your role and setting.

Does every First Aid kit need the same contents?

No. This is another area where a simple universal shopping list can be misleading.

HSE states that there is no mandatory list of items that every workplace First Aid container must contain. What you provide should reflect the findings of the first aid needs assessment. A low hazard office and a construction project involving sharp equipment or remote working may reasonably need different provision.

The practical questions are straightforward. Is the equipment suitable for the injuries you have identified? Is there enough of it? Can people reach it quickly? Is somebody checking stock, packaging and expiry dates? Does the arrangement still work in another part of the site?

If the assessment identifies a specialist hazard, avoid assuming that buying specialist equipment solves the problem on its own. Training, competence, location and the wider emergency procedure matter just as much.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland do not use exactly the same legislation

A UK wide training page should make this distinction clear. England, Scotland and Wales use the Health and Safety First Aid Regulations 1981 and HSE guidance. Northern Ireland has separate Health and Safety First Aid Regulations Northern Ireland 1982, administered by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.

The systems are nevertheless closely aligned. HSENI confirms that employers in Northern Ireland also need appropriate First Aid arrangements and that FAW and EFAW remain central workplace First Aid qualifications.

Build First Aid into the rest of your site safety training

First Aid prepares people to respond when something has already gone wrong. It should therefore sit alongside training that helps prevent incidents in the first place. For construction businesses in particular, the most useful training plan is usually the one that reflects the actual activities performed by the workforce.

You can also browse our complete construction training course range if you are planning training for several roles or activities.

FAQ – First Aid training

Do you have a question about our first aid courses? Below you will find practical answers about workplace First Aid training, FAW, EFAW, certificates, construction site requirements and course delivery.