Hi Renata – Does my workplace have to have first aid officers and a first aid kit available to workers?
The short answer to both of your questions is “Yes”.
A part of your employer’s duty under s.21(2)(d) of the OHS Act to provide adequate facilities for the welfare of employees and this includes the provision of first aid kits and trained first aid officers. How your employer achieves this is, to a degree, up to them.
Using the guidance provided for employers in the Compliance Code: First Aid in the Workplace, your employer can choose to follow the prescribed approach or the risk assessment approach to the provision of workplace first aid.
The ‘prescribed’ approach sets out numbers and ratios, and the ‘risk assessment’ approach requires them to assess a range of issues to decide what first aid is required, including how many first aiders. Even with the prescribed approach, there is some level of risk assessment required – is it a ‘low-risk’ workplace or a ‘high-risk’ workplace?
But as a minimum, employers need to ensure there is at least one first aid officer available at any one time. When planning first aid provision, employers need to take into account coverage during different shifts, leave and flexible work arrangements, and must consult with HSRs and employees on the specific needs of your workplace.
Employers must ensure that appointed first aid officers receive suitable training in a nationally recognised first aid qualification that is provided by a registered training organisation (RTO). For higher risk workplaces, first aid officers may also require advanced first aid skills training.
As well as training for the first aid officers, employers must provide general information, instruction and training to all employees that covers the location and type of first aid kits at the workplace, the names and work locations of trained first aid officers, and any procedures to be followed when first aid or further assistance is required. It is important that employees be able to recognise their first aid officers.
The contents of a basic workplace first aid kit are listed in the Compliance Code: First Aid in the Workplace. Employers will also need to determine whether any additional first aid modules are required in their kits for hazards specific to their workplaces, for example eye modules, burns modules, snake bite kits, etc.
As a general guide, the ‘prescribed approach’ requirements for suitably trained first aid officers and first aid kits are:
Low-risk workplaces
- One officer and one kit for 10 to 50 workers
- Two officers and two kits for 51 to 100 workers
· One additional officer and kit for every additional 100 workers
Higher risk workplaces
- One officer and one kit for up to 25 workers
- Two officers and two kits for 26 to 50 workers
- One additional officer and kit for every additional 50 workers
Employers who choose to follow the risk assessment approach to determining their first aid needs, must regularly re-assess the risks in their workplace. Review of injury, illness and near-miss incident data and consultation with specialist practitioners may be helpful in this process. Matters to be considered include:
- · The number of employees
- · The nature of the work performed at the workplace
- · The distance between potential injury occurrence and first aid facilities
- · The level of first aid available in the workplace
Employers can use the checklists provided in the compliance code to help them work through the requirements of their workplace.
You can find more information about first aid requirements at our First Aid – what are the requirements page.
If you have any questions about OHS we encourage to fill out an Ask Renata query and one of our officials will get back to you shortly. Alternatively give Ask Renatabot a try!