Does first aid training need to be approved by the HSE?

Since the 1st of October 2013, the answer has been no. Any companies that previously offered ‘HSE Approved’ First Aid Training can not claim to be approved by the health & safety body.

These changes provide more flexibility to choose who supplies your training. Employers must, however, make sure they undertake due diligence into the first aid provider that they select.

First Aid Training Guidelines

Any first aid training courses should be able to show that they meet the criteria set by the HSE. Here are some of the set criteria:

• Qualifications for the trainers and assessors
• Quality assurance systems
• Standards and teaching of first aid practice
• Syllabus content
• Certification

The principles of assessment for first aid qualifications set criteria that training organisations should meet. These criteria include:

• Qualifications and competence of first aiders
• How training is delivered & assessed
• Quality assurance systems

By satisfying the criteria and showing clarity in this area, employers will show commitment to the law surrounding Health & Safety and that they have picked a competent training provider. The HSE is not able to assess whether or not a training provider is competent or the quality assurance that they have in place.

First Aid Training Courses

If employers decide that through a risk assessment they need employees to be qualified in First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW), they need to find training providers that meet the appropriate qualifications.

• FAW includes EFAW and trains employees to be able to apply first aid to various injuries and illnesses
• EFAW trains first-aider employees to give emergency first aid to someone at work who becomes injured or ill.
• Employers may also think that other training is required that is specific to their job roles or industry that they work in, for example, Eye Protection Training.

A risk assessment focus on the need for first aid can determine which kind of training employees need. FAW training takes around 18 hours of training across 3 days and EFAW training involves around 6 hours of training in a minimum of 1 day. HSE continues to set the syllabus for both FAW and EFAW.

Our Online First-Aid Course Bundle consists of First-Aid Appointed Person Training, First-Aid Requirements & RIDDOR, Accident Reporting in the Workplace, First Aid at Work Refresher Training, and Emergency First Aid at Work Refresher Training.

Our training equips employees & management alike with the information needed to comply with current legislation surrounding first aid.

You can claim a no-obligation free trial to any of our courses today!