First aid at work
First-aid certificates expire quietly. The usual way an organisation finds out is on the day it needs one.
What the law requires
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require an employer to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and people, so that employees who are injured or taken ill at work receive immediate attention. What is adequate is not a fixed number: it comes from a first-aid needs assessment that considers the hazards, the size of the workforce, the site layout, shift patterns and how far away help is.
Legislation referred to on this page: Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. Named so you can read the source. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and whether a duty applies to your organisation is a question for you and your adviser.
Who it applies to
- Every employer, whatever the headcount. The Regulations have no lower threshold.
- The level of provision is driven by the needs assessment, not by a table — a low-hazard office and a workshop reach different answers legitimately.
- Provision for non-employees is not required by these Regulations, though many organisations decide to make it and record that decision.
What you have to be able to show
The list an inspector, insurer or auditor actually works through.
- The first-aid needs assessment, and when it was last looked at.
- Who the first aiders or appointed persons are, and what qualification each holds.
- Certificate expiry dates, and evidence that requalification is arranged before they lapse.
- That the workforce knows who to go to and where the equipment is.
- Kit checks — contents in date, and restocked after use.
How DutyHub records it
DutyHub does not carry out any of the work below. It records who did, when, and what they found.
Certificates with real expiry
Each qualification carries its expiry and its refresh cycle, and chasing starts far enough ahead that a course can actually be booked.
Cover as a number, not a hope
The register counts trained people against the premises they cover, so losing one is visible immediately rather than at the next assessment.
Kit checks on a schedule
A recurring check with a QR label on the box. Missed checks show up on the calendar with everything else.
Start with what applies to you
Add your premises and answer a short set of questions about them. DutyHub works out which duties land on which building, and shows you the gaps before anybody else finds them.
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