First aid at work certificates

What it is

Training that qualifies someone to act as a first-aider at work. First Aid at Work (FAW) is a three-day course; Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is a one-day course that covers less. Either lets someone act as the workplace first-aider, depending on what the employer needs.

The rules come from the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and HSE's guidance on them, L74. HSE stopped approving first-aid training providers in 2013, so employers have to check a provider is competent themselves.

Who needs it

Anyone the employer appoints as a first-aider. The employer's own first-aid needs assessment decides how many first-aiders are needed and whether they need FAW or EFAW. HSE says first-aiders may need extra training where work involves confined spaces, or outdoor or remote work.

How long it lasts

Three years from the date the course was completed, for FAW, EFAW and other suitable first-aid training. That period comes from HSE's guidance (L74), not from the regulations themselves.

HSE also strongly recommends a short annual refresher during those three years. It isn't mandatory, but skills fade quickly.

Renewing

Retraining should be booked before the certificate expires:

• FAW: a two-day requalification course, covering the same ground as the full course.
• EFAW: the same one-day course again.
• Once it expires, the person is no longer considered competent to act as a first-aider. They can still requalify on the two-day course, but HSE suggests the full three-day course may be wiser if more than a month has passed.

Checking a certificate is genuine

There's no central register of first-aid certificates. HSE says a certificate should show the provider's name, the qualification, the person's name, a three-year validity from the course date, that it was issued under the 1981 Regulations, and that the teaching followed current first-aid practice. Keep a record of the checks you make on the training provider.