New Expert Advice on First Aid in the Workplace

Employers have a legal requirement to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. The right form of first aid can save lives and prevent a minor injury from becoming a major one. To support businesses in their provision of first aid and first aid training, we have created expert advice to help.

The First Aid at Work Regulations 1981 state that employers are duty-bound to provide adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities to enable first aid to be delivered, in the event that an employee is injured or becomes ill at work. With over 70,000 non-fatal injuries to employees in Great Britain each year, correct and compliant workplace first aid provision and training is crucial.

Our free first aid expert advice offers comprehensive advice and guidance on a range of topics within the first aid field, helping employers understand their obligations and the expertise, support and range we can offer.

The advice includes:

• An overview of first aid regulations and standards, including British Standard vs HSE compliant first aid kits
• How businesses can select the right first aid kit, including size guidelines
• First aid training requirements
• A selection of our first aid kits and training sources

To help employers with their first aid supplies, we have a new fully comprehensive range of first aid products, including general purpose first aid kits, such as BS8599-1:2019 Workplace First Aid Kits, and more specific ones to help comply with the latest update in regulations, such as BS8599-1:2019 Critical Injury Pack for trauma or catastrophic bleeds. To help employers comply with first aid training regulations, Arco Professional Safety Services also has a full programme of courses, aimed at organisations of all sizes. These include courses on First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work.

Niall Robinson, Product & Procurement Manager of Workplace Safety at Arco, said:

"No matter how big or small your business is, accidents and injuries can occur at any time. It's imperative that all employers ensure they have the correct size and number of first aid kits and that they check these regularly, as well as having suitably trained first aiders to treat your employees. With our new First Aid expert advice, we hope to assist as many businesses as possible with their first aid needs - hopefully saving the lives of numerous employees in the process."