There is no such thing as “the” first aid course. What you need depends on what your workplace first-aid needs assessment says — and that assessment is the legal starting point, not the course. Most people buy the course first and work backwards, which is how businesses end up with three qualified first aiders on the same shift and none on the night shift.
This guide sets out the three things “first aid training” can mean, which one your role actually calls for, what the law requires, and the one thing you cannot get online no matter who is selling it.
Start with the needs assessment, not the course
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide “adequate and appropriate” equipment, facilities and personnel so employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.
Note what the law does not say. It does not name a course, a number of first aiders, or a ratio. It requires you to assess what your workplace actually needs and then provide it. Factors that drive the answer:
- The hazards. A machine shop or a chemical plant needs more than a small office.
- Headcount, and how it is distributed across shifts and sites.
- Shift patterns and lone working — cover has to exist at 3am, not just on a Tuesday morning.
- Distance from emergency services, and whether the site is remote or hard to access.
- Accident history — what has actually happened here before.
- Vulnerable people — members of the public, children, or workers with known health conditions.
- Sites shared with other employers, and who is covering whom.
The assessment output tells you which of the following you need. See how to run a risk assessment properly — the same logic applies.
The three tiers of “first aid training”
1. Appointed person — no first aid qualification required
Where the assessment shows low risk and a small headcount, you may not need a qualified first aider at all. You still need an appointed person: someone who takes charge in an emergency, calls the emergency services, and looks after the first aid equipment.
An appointed person is not required to hold a first aid qualification. They must be available whenever people are at work.
2. EFAW — Emergency First Aid at Work
One day, typically around 6 hours. Certificate valid 3 years.
Suitable where the assessment shows lower-hazard work. Covers the emergency essentials: assessing an incident, an unresponsive casualty, CPR, choking, bleeding, shock, and minor injuries.
3. FAW — First Aid at Work
Three days, typically around 18 hours. Certificate valid 3 years.
Suitable where the assessment shows higher hazards or more complex needs. Covers everything in EFAW plus a much wider range — including fractures, spinal injuries, head injuries, burns, poisoning, anaphylaxis and medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, seizures and stroke.
And alongside these: awareness training
Awareness or CPD-level first aid training builds understanding — what to do in the first moments, when to call 999, how the legal duties work, and what the workplace system is. It is genuinely useful for the whole workforce, because in a real emergency it is rarely the designated first aider who is standing closest.
It does not make anyone a first aider. That distinction is the single most important thing on this page.
The thing you cannot get online
This is where a lot of money gets wasted, so it is worth being exact.
Blended learning is allowed. Since 2016, HSE and the awarding organisations have accepted first aid courses that deliver theory online and the practical element face to face. There is nothing wrong with an online component — it can make the classroom time more useful.
But FAW and EFAW require a practical element assessed in person. You cannot become a workplace first aider without working with a trainer, on manikins and props, and being assessed on your practical competence. No online-only course can award a valid FAW or EFAW qualification, whatever the sales page says.
The reason is not bureaucratic. Chest compressions at the right depth and rate are a physical skill. You cannot verify someone can do them by asking multiple-choice questions about them.
What to check before buying anything advertised as FAW or EFAW online: does the price include an in-person practical session and assessment, and where is it? If the answer is no, it is not an FAW or EFAW qualification.
Certificates, renewal and the 28-day trap
- FAW and EFAW certificates are valid for three years from the date of assessment.
- Requalify before expiry. FAW requalification is typically a shorter 2-day course; EFAW is a further 1-day course.
- There is a limited grace period. HSE allows a short window — commonly cited as 28 days past expiry — in which requalification can still be completed. Miss that and there is no shortcut left: your first aider must sit the full course again.
- HSE strongly recommends an annual refresher (usually around 3 hours). This is recommended, not legally required — but the reasoning is sound: studies show resuscitation skills start to decay within months of training.
Practical consequence: put certificate expiry dates in a calendar with a reminder at least three months out. Letting a certificate lapse is one of the most common and most avoidable first-aid failings.
Choosing a provider — HSE no longer approves them
Since October 2013, HSE has not approved or endorsed individual first aid training providers. Employers are responsible for their own due diligence. That means checking:
- Trainer qualifications and current occupational competence
- Whether the qualification is regulated (Ofqual/SQA) or delivered by a recognised voluntary aid society such as St John Ambulance, St Andrew’s First Aid or the British Red Cross
- Syllabus and hours against the FAW/EFAW standard
- Quality assurance and how the practical assessment is conducted
- Insurance and complaints process
Nobody can advertise a course as “HSE approved”. If a provider claims that, treat it as a warning sign about everything else they say.
Sector-specific requirements that sit on top
- Early years settings in England — the EYFS statutory framework requires paediatric first aid, which is a separate qualification from FAW/EFAW.
- Construction — higher hazard levels typically push the assessment toward FAW, and sites often set their own contractual minimums.
- Care settings — CQC-registered providers are expected to evidence adequate first aid arrangements alongside their other clinical competencies.
- Schools — no single national rule, but the needs assessment must account for pupils as well as staff, and many settings require paediatric-trained staff.
Five ways employers get first aid wrong
- Counting first aiders, not cover. Four qualified people who all work days is not cover for a night shift.
- Buying the course before doing the assessment. The assessment determines the requirement; guessing usually means over-buying in one place and under-buying in another.
- Letting certificates lapse. Especially past the short grace window, which turns a 2-day requalification into a full 3-day course.
- Assuming an online certificate qualifies someone. It does not, for FAW or EFAW.
- Never checking the kit. A first aider with an empty or out-of-date box is not a working arrangement.
Further reading
- HSE — First aid at work
- HSE L74 — First aid at work: guidance on regulations
- Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
Awareness-level first aid training
Our Workplace First Aid course builds understanding of what to do in the first moments of an emergency, how the legal duties work, and how the workplace first aid system fits together. Also relevant: Basic Life Support · Anaphylaxis Awareness · Paediatric First Aid
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100 % online, verifiable e-certificate on completion. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
Important: this is a CPD-accredited awareness course and general information — not medical advice, and not a substitute for practical first aid training. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification and it does not make you a workplace first aider. FAW and EFAW qualifications require an in-person practical element assessed by a competent trainer and cannot be obtained online. If your first-aid needs assessment identifies a requirement for qualified first aiders, book FAW or EFAW with a provider delivering face-to-face practical assessment. In an emergency, call 999.