Draft guidance for businesses ahead of changes to first aid regulations

Changes proposed to first aid regulations to remove the requirement for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to approve first aid training providers have been publicly consulted on and approved by the HSE board. The changes are now expected to come into force on 1 October 2013, subject to ministerial approval.

Removing the HSE approval process will give businesses greater flexibility to choose their own training providers and first aid training that is right for their workplace, based on their needs assessment and their individual business needs.

HSE has published new draft guidance to help employers assess the first aid requirements within their specific workplace. HSE has also produced separate guidance on how to select an appropriate first aid training provider. Both can be found on the HSE website.

What does this mean for employers?

Until the changes take effect, the existing law continues to apply.

What does this mean for our customers?

St John Ambulance is approved by HSE to deliver workplace first aid training so the bottom line is, if you're working with us to train your first aiders, you can be sure that you're getting the right training to meet your legal obligations, both now and after the changes to the regulations are implemented.

What can you do to stay on top of the regulation changes and your first aid provision?

We're here to cut through the complexities and make sure you have everything you need to stay on top of your workplace first aid requirements both before and after the regulation changes are implemented. There are several ways to make sure you know everything you need to know:

• Make sure you sign up to have our eNewsletters delivered to your inbox and we'll keep you informed of important developments
  
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• Our LinkedIn group is a key forum where we post important updates for employers, respond to your questions about workplace first aid and tell you about key developments that you should be aware of
  
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• Enter a few basic details about your workplace in our Requirements calculator and find out instantly how many trained first aiders you need to meet your statutory minimum requirement
  
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• Our First aid compliance checklist will highlight any gaps in your current first aid provision
  
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• Our customer service teams are always ready to answer your questions and help you make sure you're on top of your first aid provision. Call 0844 770 4800 to speak with an adviser in your area.