The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to assess their first aid needs and provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and trained people. The right level depends on the size of the team, the hazards and how far the venue is from emergency services, and the assessment should consider guests as well as staff. Hospitality incidents tend to repeat: burns and scalds, knife cuts, slips and falls, choking, fainting and allergic reactions that may need an adrenaline auto-injector. Kitchens need burns dressings and blue detectable plasters so they can be spotted if they end up in food.
Busy venues increasingly have a defibrillator on site, ideally registered with the national network so ambulance services can direct people to it. The practical test is simple: on every shift, does everyone know who the trained first aider is and where the kit is kept? Rotas that list a first aider on paper but not on the floor fail that test.
What we ask on the show
- Who is the first aider on tonight's shift, and does everyone know?
- Have you ever had to deal with a serious medical emergency during service?
- Should every venue have a defibrillator?
- How do you keep first aid kits stocked and checked?