The first aid Code of Practice gives practical, step‑by‑step guidance on how a workplace should plan, provide, and maintain adequate first aid so injured or ill workers can be treated quickly and effectively.

Core guidance in the Code

  • Assess first aid needs
    • Carry out a risk assessment that considers the nature of the work, common hazards, number and distribution of workers, work patterns (shifts, remote work), and access to emergency services.
* Use this assessment to decide the level of first aid coverage required (low, medium, or high risk) and review it whenever work processes or staffing change.
  • Provide suitable first aid equipment and kits
    • Ensure there are enough first aid kits, suitably stocked for the hazards (for example, cuts and burns in kitchens, eye wash where chemicals are used).
* Locate kits so they are clearly marked, easy to access, and protected from damage, with someone responsible for checking and restocking them regularly.
  • Set up first aid facilities
    • Provide first aid rooms or dedicated areas in larger or higher‑risk workplaces to allow private, safe treatment (e.g., construction sites, factories, remote or isolated locations).
* Ensure facilities have basic furniture, hand‑washing, communication means, and easy access for stretchers or emergency services.
  • Appoint and train first aiders
    • Specify how many trained first aiders are needed based on risk level and number of workers, with more first aiders required in high‑risk or remote workplaces.
* Require first aiders to hold appropriate, current qualifications and receive refresher training so their skills remain up to date.
  • Develop first aid procedures
    • Establish clear written procedures covering what to do when someone is injured or ill, how to contact first aiders, how to call an ambulance, and how to record incidents.
* Include processes for managing serious incidents, dealing with visitors, and handling sharps, infection risk, or exposure to hazardous substances.
  • Inform workers and ensure communication
    • Tell workers where first aid kits, rooms, and first aiders are, and how to get help quickly in an emergency.
* Use signs, posters, inductions, and regular reminders to make this information easy to find and understand, taking account of language and literacy levels.
  • Use a risk‑management approach and review
    • Follow a cycle of identifying hazards, assessing risks, implementing first aid measures (equipment, people, facilities, and procedures), and then reviewing their effectiveness.
* Review first aid arrangements after incidents, near misses, or workplace changes, and update kits, training, and procedures as needed.

Mini takeaway

In simple terms, the Code of Practice explains how a workplace turns its legal duty of care into concrete action : by assessing risk, providing the right kits, facilities and trained people, writing and communicating clear procedures, and then regularly checking that everything still works in practice.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.