By Bright Learning Centre, Leicester
Employers often ask whether their staff need Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) or First Aid at Work (FAW). The short answer is that it depends on your workplace first-aid needs assessment, not on employee numbers alone.
EFAW is the shorter course. It teaches people to give emergency first aid to someone who is injured or becomes ill at work. FAW includes everything in EFAW and also covers a wider range of specific injuries and illnesses. Lower-hazard workplaces can often rely on EFAW, while higher-hazard or larger workplaces may need FAW or additional training.
This guide explains EFAW vs FAW, what UK first-aid law requires, how to carry out a needs assessment and how many first aiders HSE suggests. It is based on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance and is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
| Feature | Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) | First Aid at Work (FAW) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum course length | At least 6 hours, over a minimum of one day | At least 18 hours, over a minimum of three days |
| What it covers | How to give emergency first aid to someone injured or taken ill at work | Everything in EFAW, plus first aid for a range of specific injuries and illnesses |
| Best suited to | Lower-hazard workplaces, where your needs assessment supports it | Higher-hazard or larger workplaces, or where a wider range of injuries is possible |
| Certificate validity | Normally three years | Normally three years |
| Requalification | Complete a requalification course before the certificate expires | Complete a requalification course before the certificate expires |
HSE sets the syllabus and minimum course lengths for both courses. Since 2013, HSE no longer approves individual training providers, so check that any provider you choose has qualified trainers and sound quality assurance. HSE publishes a guide, Selecting a first-aid training provider, to help.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and people. The aim is that employees can get immediate help if they are injured or taken ill at work.
What counts as “adequate and appropriate” depends on your workplace. The law does not name one course, or one number of first aiders, for every business of a particular size or industry.
HSE says the minimum provision on any work site is:
Provision must be available at all times when people are at work. You work out whether you need more by carrying out a first-aid needs assessment. HSE guidance is not compulsory, but following it will normally mean you are doing enough to comply with the law.
Start with your general risk assessment, then consider each of these factors. Write down your findings and review them whenever your workplace changes.
HSE says there are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers. The figures below come from HSE’s guidance and are suggestions only. They are not legal minimums for every workplace, so adjust them to match your own assessment. They show the personnel to have available at all times people are at work.
| Number of employees | Suggested first-aid provision |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 25 | At least one appointed person |
| 25–50 | At least one first aider trained in EFAW |
| More than 50 | At least one first aider trained in FAW for every 100 employees (or part of 100) |
| Number of employees | Suggested first-aid provision |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | At least one appointed person |
| 5–50 | At least one first aider trained in EFAW or FAW, depending on the type of injuries that might occur |
| More than 50 | At least one first aider trained in FAW for every 50 employees (or part of 50) |
HSE adds that shift work or sites with several buildings may need more people than the tables suggest, and that you should increase provision to cover absences. You may also choose a different level of training if it suits your circumstances better.
An appointed person takes charge of first-aid arrangements. They look after the first-aid equipment and facilities and call the emergency services when needed. They do not need first-aid training.
An appointed person is not a trained first aider, and they cannot replace one where your needs assessment says trained first aiders are necessary. In a small, low-hazard workplace where first aiders are not considered necessary, an appointed person is the minimum provision.
An appointed person can provide emergency cover if a first aider is unexpectedly absent, but not for planned absences such as annual leave. If you already have enough appropriately trained first aiders, you do not need a separate appointed person.
Use these examples as a starting point, then check them against your own needs assessment.
EFAW and FAW certificates normally last three years. Before a certificate expires, the first aider must complete a requalification course to obtain another three-year certificate. Once a certificate has expired, that person is no longer considered competent to act as a workplace first aider.
HSE also strongly recommends annual refresher training in the years between formal courses. It helps first aiders keep their basic skills up to date.
Once your needs assessment shows which level of training you need, you can book the right course. If you are looking for workplace first-aid training in Leicester, Bright Learning Centre offers first aid training. See our first-aid courses page for the courses available.
If you want to train several members of staff, please contact our team to discuss group training.
EFAW teaches emergency first aid for someone injured or taken ill at work. FAW includes the EFAW content and adds first aid for a range of specific injuries and illnesses. FAW also takes longer, with an 18-hour minimum compared with 6 hours for EFAW.
It can be, particularly in lower-hazard workplaces. Your needs assessment decides this. Higher-hazard workplaces, or those with a wider range of possible injuries, may need FAW or additional training.
There is no fixed legal number. HSE suggests at least one appointed person for a low-hazard workplace with fewer than 25 employees, and at least one EFAW-trained first aider for 25 to 50. Adjust this for shifts, absences and site layout.
Both normally last three years. First aiders must requalify before the certificate expires to obtain a new three-year certificate.
HSE strongly recommends it to keep skills up to date, but it describes it as a recommendation rather than a fixed requirement.
In England, EYFS settings need at least one person with a current paediatric first aid certificate on the premises whenever children are present. Check the EYFS statutory framework for the latest requirements.
Start with your needs assessment, then choose the course that matches it. When you are ready, view our first aid training in Leicester or contact us to arrange training for your team.
Further reading from HSE and the Department for Education: First aid at work: your questions answered, Are you a first-aider?, First aid training providers and the EYFS statutory framework.