Updated 9 December 2025
Why train first aiders for your workplace?
If someone suffers a medical emergency or gets hurt at work, it can unfortunately take time to get medical help. Sadly time in such a scenario we can't afford. On a positive note, acting accordingly at the very time while waiting for an ambulance or medical assistance is extremely important. Consistently, it has been shown to make a positive contribution in emergency first aid situations.
In such scenarios, whether it’s a serious injury or illness or something less pressing, it would be prudent to have trained first aiders who can help, people who know what to do.
Depending on your workplace risk assessment needs, at the very least, they should have basic first aid skills. Fortunately, employees can complete a First Aid at Work or an Emergency First Aid at Work course, ultimately playing a significant role in reducing risk and having the skills to potentially save a life.
What is the difference between the First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work?
The course names sound very similar: First Aid at Work (FAW) and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW). This is where the similarities end.
If you operate in a high-risk workplace environment, the hazards and risks for an accident, incident or illness are likely to be high. Office spaces, although generally classified as a low-risk workplace, the HSE guidance states that a minimum of a first-aid kit plus appoint a person (appointed person) whose role is to handle first-aid provisions or call for an ambulance. It may not be as simple as that, or opting for a shorter EFAW course.
Here’s what you need to know about compliance, in particular, the HSE rules and regulations, selecting the right first aid course for your needs and why you may need first aiders on site. This article will help you decide.
An overview of the 3-day First Aid at Work course
A First Aid at Work course covers common accidents and emergencies that could happen in the workplace. If you employ someone with a serious health condition or have a history of incidents or illnesses in the workplace, it would be prudent to have trained first aiders on-site. The course is available to anyone who'd like to develop their first aid knowledge and skills, covering a range of topics to minimise accidents, injuries and illnesses in a workplace.
As an attendee, you’ll learn a great deal about various first aid-related conditions and how to assist a casualty in such an emergency. This includes people who may be unresponsive and breathing or unresponsive and not breathing. You'll know how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED or Defib for short) safely and manage a choking casualty.
If someone is bleeding, accidentally burnt themselves, suffering a shock or feels faint, you’ll know what to do. The same goes if a colleague at work has sustained a head injury, has hypothermia or heat exhaustion, suffered a bone, muscle or joint injury, or has been electrocuted. The First Aid at Work course covers such topics.
Anyone suffering from a seizure or heart attack you’ll be taught to recognise it and how to best deal with the incident. Angina, asthma, strokes, allergic reactions and diabetes are all covered. In addition, attendees also learn about how to assess a casualty, monitor their condition, record and report accidents, and control hazardous substances.
You will learn all this through a combination of hands-on practical and theoretical knowledge in a classroom setting, where you will need to demonstrate your newly acquired knowledge, such as demonstrating CPR on a manikin. The course guides you through various demonstrations, allowing for plenty of hands-on practice, Q&A sessions, quizzes, activities and assessments to prepare you for the role of a workplace first aider.
A considerable amount to learn in 3 days, it may seem.
An overview of the 1-day Emergency First Aid at Work course
The Emergency First Aid at Work is a one-day course (unit 1 or the first day of the 3 Day First Aid at Work course), that provides learners with the skill and knowledge to manage core first aid situations. The course teaches attendees how to provide first aid to a casualty who is unresponsive, covering CPR, choking, bleeds, shock, minor injuries like cuts, grazes, burns, and when to place a casualty into the recovery position.
If your workplace risk assessment identifies a need for a person trained in Emergency First Aid at Work, then this may by the right course for you. The course content meets the requirements outlined in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982.
Course materials and support
This is the perfect first aid training for big businesses, high-risk sectors like construction, and businesses employing people with known health issues. As an attendee, you’ll be given plenty of support materials, including a well-stocked and very useful training pack containing a workbook, first aid manual, dressings and more.
Upon successful completion of the course, a nationally recognised first aid certificate, valid for three years, is issued.
The benefits to your company and employees
Knowing first aid can save lives. First aid education at work means your workforce is capable of helping each other, helping visitors to your premises, and helping themselves.
As it goes without saying, when you know how to treat injuries and illnesses, you’ll understand more about how to prevent them as well. Better safety awareness helps your people work more carefully, avoiding accidents.
It’s a tried and tested path for making your workplace a safer environment.
Offering lifesaving first aid training since 2012
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