What is the law about first aid at work?

Personal injury solicitors Burnley frequently see people with serious injuries that relate to a failure to provide first aid at work. A minor laceration can become infected without first aid, people can feel like they have no-one to turn to if they start suffering from musculoskeletal disorders or industrial illnesses, and minor injuries can quickly become significantly more serious due to this negligence.

According to the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, all employers must provide first aid facilities and equipment, and should have staff trained in first aid to treat people's illnesses. These provisions must be adequate and appropriate for the working environment, and while there is no legal duty for employers to protect the general public through first aid, it is best practice to consider these people when deciding what is required.

No win no fee solicitors would like to warn employers that these regulations apply to all employers, including those with fewer than five members of staff.

What are the minimum requirements for first aid?

If the risks in a business are very limited, then a business will require the smallest level of first aid provision. This will include:

·         A properly-stocked first aid box

·         Information sheets, which are provided to employees or put up in obvious places and detail first aid arrangements

·         An appointed first-aider

The Health and Safety Executive notes while there are no legal obligations regarding which items should be kept in first aid boxes, there are a number of general items that suit every business. These are:

20 sterile plasters of assorted sizes
Six safety pins
Two eye pads
Four triangular bandages
Disposable gloves
Six medium wound dressings
Two large wound dressings

Bandages, eye pads, wound dressings and eye pads should be sterile, and individually wrapped if possible.

If you are unsure what first aid equipment is required for your business, then speak to a health and safety consultant to find out. It is better to deal with health and safety now than to explain why you didn't deal with it to a no win no fee solicitor Burnley.

Posted in Health Care, Personal Injury