St John Ambulance is urging employers to protect their staff and customers by checking the credentials of first aid training providers, following news from the Health and Safety Executive that from October, it will no longer be doing so through the current approval and monitoring process.

The changes to workplace first aid regulations, announced today, mean employers will no longer be restricted to choosing an HSE approved training provider, giving businesses more choice. However, the HSE will require employers to undertake due diligence to ensure their chosen provider meets clear educational and clinical standards. The HSE will continue to regulate the role of the first aider within the workplace. John Cavanagh, Regional Commercial Training Director at St John Ambulance said: ‘As first aid training providers can no longer demonstrate quality through holding a HSE license, it’s important that employers review the new guidance carefully and ensure that the training they choose conforms to this guidance. Hiring an organisation that is unable to meet the educational and clinical standards to teach first aid correctly can potentially put lives at risk.

‘Workplace deaths last year occurred at a rate of 3 per week*, with 115,000 reportable workplace injuries a year**. High quality first aid training should be a priority for all organisations as it is essential that first aiders have the competence and confidence to be the difference between life and death.’ To help businesses ensure that their first aiders are being trained to the highest standard, the HSE is providing improved guidance documents that will replace the existing Approved Code of Practice (ACoP):

Guidance on compliance with First Aid Regulations (FAR) including ‘The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981’ and ‘Regulations and Guidance (L74)’;

Guidance on ’Selecting a first aid training provider (GEIS3)’, including check lists for evaluating the competency of first aid training organisations.

St John Ambulance recommends that employers consider the specific first aid needs of their workplace, taking into account issues such as employee absence and existing health conditions among staff. By using the guidance and examples provided by the HSE, employers can make sure they choose the right first aid cover for their business, based on its risk profile. The HSE’s announcement follows a report made by Professor Ragnar E Lofstedt in 2011, which set out to reduce health and safety red tape and regulatory burden on public and private sector organisations. Employers are advised to abide by the current HSE requirements until the changes are implemented in October. All first aid at work certificates issued before then will remain valid until they expire. St John Ambulance will be publishing guidance on its website to help businesses navigate the change in regulation. Visit sja.org.uk/firstaidregulations or call 0844 770 4800 to speak with an advisor.