October Launch for Health and Safety at Work Courses

October 2009 will see the Health and Safety Executive make the first changes to the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 for over a quarter of a century, in the hope of improving First Aid skills and regulation compliance in the workplace.

The major changes in the regulation will be:                                                                                                                               

• The current 4 day First Aid at Work (FAW) course will be reduced to a 3 day course.

• A new level of First Aid provision (the EFAW) will be introduced as an option for smaller businesses. The Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course will be a mandatory 1 day course similar to the Emergency Aid for Appointed Persons course that is currently recommended.

Revised guidance for First Aid training organisation, incorporating the changes to first aid training, is now available from the HSE website under the First Aid at Work Changes section.

Existing HSE approved training organisations should download these Schedules, and keep them with their current Certificate of Approval.