First Aid for Field & Mobile Staff

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate numbers of first aiders, facilities and equipment to enable first aid to be given to employees who are injured or who fall ill at work and this includes employees who work away from the main work premises such as field sales staff, home workers and home care workers. 

It is important that all employees know who their First Aiders are and how to contact them and what the procedure is in place for dealing with all kinds of emergencies, including those in isolated areas.

If some employees travel extensively or work on their own then providing personal first aid kits and issuing them with mobile telephones should be considered.

Employees are also responsible for ensuring that they are aware of where the First Aid box is located and who the First Aiders for their team/department/site are.

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Home Care Visitors

Sufficient arrangements should be in place to allow an employee who receives a SHARPS’ injury at work to notify this as soon as practicable. These arrangements must also include home workers, those who conduct home visits and other field staff working away from the work premises. 

It is also important to remember that accidents can happen at any time. First-aid provision needs to be available at all times that people are at work.

Before undertaking any off-site activities, an assessment of what level of first-aid provision is needed as additional items may be necessary for specialised activities.

Public Service Vehicles

Transport Regulations require that all minibuses and public service vehicles used either as an express carriage or contract carriage have on board a first-aid provision which shall be:

• Maintained in a good condition
• Suitable for the purpose of keeping the items referred to above in good condition
• Readily available for use
• Prominently marked as a first-aid kit