The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has confirmed that starting from October 2013, it will no longer approve first aid training and qualifications.
As part of the change, employers will still be under a legal obligation to ensure adequate provision of trained first aiders with the right skills. However, the HSE will no longer approve companies and bodies which provide first aid training.
What the organisation is doing is to provide employers with guidance, so that they can choose a competent training provider themselves. The new guidance is entitled ‘Selecting a first-aid training provider (GEIS3)’.
Commenting on the change to the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, the HSE’s plicy lead on First Aid, Andy McGrory, said:
“The guidance documents clarify what the law requires and provide practical help to businesses in assessing and understanding their first aid needs. Where a first aider is required, the guidance documents make it clear that the employer is free to select a training provider who is best suited to those needs.”
“We have taken onboard comments and suggestions that we have received through our public consultations on the changes and from extended stakeholder discussions and business input to ensure the guidance provides everything an employer will need to manage their first aid requirements.”