The First Aid Code of Practice for a workplace provides clear guidance on the minimum requirements businesses must meet to ensure adequate first aid provision. Key points of the guidance include:
- Conducting a risk assessment of the workplace to determine first aid needs based on hazards, workforce size and composition, and workplace layout.
- Providing appropriate first aid equipment such as well-stocked first aid kits suited to the type of risks in the workplace (e.g., cuts, burns, fractures, eye injuries).
- Designating trained first aid officers with suitable qualifications, and maintaining recommended ratios (example: one first aider per 50 workers in low-risk workplaces, one per 25 in high-risk).
- Ensuring first aid facilities such as dedicated first aid rooms or health centers in larger or high-risk workplaces.
- Making first aid equipment, signage, and personnel easily accessible to workers, including for remote or multi-floor workplaces.
- Implementing first aid procedures for injury response, reporting, and record-keeping.
- Providing regular first aid training and refresher courses to maintain preparedness.
- Reviewing first aid arrangements regularly to ensure effectiveness and adjust for changes in workplace conditions.
Overall, the Code serves as a practical framework for employers to supply suitable first aid resources, training, and facilities to protect worker health and safety in the event of injury or illness at work.
