First aid in a low-hazard office
The duty still applies. It is just proportionate, and proportionate does not mean nothing.
Low hazard does not mean no duty. An office still needs adequate and appropriate provision, and the assessment still has to be done.
Usually sufficient
- An appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements and call emergency services.
- At least one suitably stocked kit.
- A notice telling people who the appointed person is and where the kit lives.
Where offices trip up
- Nobody has checked the kit in two years.
- The appointed person left the company.
- Provision was not reconsidered after moving to hybrid working, so nobody is in on Fridays.
- Home workers were not considered at all.
Worth considering anyway
Even a low-hazard office may want a trained first aider given the possibility of medical emergencies unrelated to work — cardiac events do not care about your risk rating.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
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FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.