First aid in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 PN12655 ISBN Creative Commons This copyright work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit creativecommons.org/licenses. In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to Safe Work Australia and abide by the other licence terms. Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Who has health and safety duties in relation to first aid? ....................................... 5 1.2 What is required in providing first aid? .................................................................... 6 2. How to determine first aid requirements for your workplace ...................................... 9 2.1 The nature of the work and workplace hazards ...................................................... 9 2.2 Size and location of the workplace........................................................................ 10 2.3 The number and composition of workers and others at the workplace ................ 11 3. First aid equipment, facilities and training ................................................................... 12 3.1 First aid kits ............................................................................................................ 12 3.2 First aid signs......................................................................................................... 13 3.3 Other first aid equipment ....................................................................................... 14 3.4 First aid facilities .................................................................................................... 15 3.5 First aiders ............................................................................................................. 16 3.6 First aid procedures ............................................................................................... 18 3.7 Providing first aid information ................................................................................ 20 3.8 Reviewing your first aid requirements ................................................................... 20 Appendix A–Glossary............................................................................................................ 22 Appendix B—First aid and the risk management process ............................................... 24 Appendix C – Summary of recommended first aid requirements ................................... 25 Appendix D—Example of a first aid assessment............................................................... 26 Nature of the work being carried out and the nature of the hazards at the workplace..... 27 Appendix E—Example of contents for first aid kits .......................................................... 29 Outdoor module ................................................................................................................. 31 Remote module.................................................................................................................. 31 Burn module ....................................................................................................................... 31 Appendix F—Standard precautions for infection control................................................. 32 Providing first aid safely ..................................................................................................... 32 Contaminated items ........................................................................................................... 32 Cleaning spills .................................................................................................................... 33 First aid in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 Page 3 of 33 Foreword This Code of Practice on first aid in the workplace is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the WHS Act). An approved code of practice is a practical guide to achieving the standards of health, safety and welfare required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (the WHS Regulation). Under section 26A of the WHS Act duty holders must comply with an approved code of practice or follow another method, such as a technical or industry standard, if it provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than the standard required in this code. A code of practice applies to anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described in the code. In most cases, following an approved code of practice would achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act, in relation to the subject matter of the code. Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and do not cover all hazards or risks that may arise. The health and safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of practice exist. Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk or control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code relates. An inspector may refer to an approved code of practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice. This may include issuing an improvement notice for failure to comply with a code of practice where equivalent or higher standards of work health and safety have not been demonstrated. Scope and application This code is intended to be read by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU). It provides practical guidance to PCBUs on how to effectively provide first aid in the workplace. It includes information on first aid kits, procedures, facilities and training for first aiders. This code may be a useful reference for other persons interested in the duties under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. This Code applies to all types of work and all workplaces covered by the WHS Act. How to use this Code of Practice This code includes references to legal requirements under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. These are included for convenience only and should not be relied on in place of the full text of the WHS Act or WHS Regulation. The words ‘must’, ‘requires’ or ‘mandatory’ indicate a legal requirement exists that must be complied with. The word ‘should’ is used in this Code to indicate a recommended course of action, while ‘may’ is used to indicate an optional course of action. First aid in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 Page 4 of 33 1. Introduction Providing immediate and effective first aid to workers or others who have been injured or become ill at the workplace may reduce the severity of the injury or illness. In some cases it could mean the difference between life and death. 1.1 Who has health and safety duties in relation to first aid? Duty holders who have a role in first aid include: • persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) • designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of plant, substances or structures • officers. Workers and other persons at the workplace also have duties under the WHS Act, such as the duty to take reasonable care for their own health and safety at the workplace. A person can have more than one duty and more than one person can have the same duty at the same time. Early consultation and identification of risks can allow for more options to eliminate or minimise risks and reduce the associated costs. Person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) PCBUs have the primary duty under the WHS Act. In general terms this duty requires PCBUs to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other persons are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking. WHS Regulation section 42 Duty to provide first aid A PCBU must ensure: • provision of first aid equipment • each worker at the workplace has access to the equipment • access to facilities for administering first aid • an adequate number of workers are trained to administer first aid, or workers have access to an adequate number of other people who have been trained to administer first aid (see section 3.5 of this Code). A PCBU may not need to provide first aid equipment or facilities if these are already provided by another duty holder at the workplace and they are adequate and easily accessible at the times the workers carry out work. Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of plant, substances or structures WHS Act Part 2 Division 3 Further duties of persons conducting businesses or undertakings First aid in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 Page 5 of 33 Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of plant or substances or structures used in the workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the plant, substance or structure they design, manufacture, import or supply is without risks to health and safety. This duty includes carrying out testing and analysis as well as providing specific information about the plant or substance. To assist in meeting these duties, the WHS Regulation require: • manufacturers to consult with designers