What you must provide — and how to work out how much
Every business must provide adequate first aid facilities, equipment and access to trained first aiders under regulation 13 of the GRWM Regulations. There is no fixed national ratio — what is “adequate” depends on your work, workplace and workers, so you assess your own first aid needs and provide accordingly.
Under regulation 13 of the GRWM Regulations, you must provide workers with adequate first aid facilities and equipment, and access to trained first aiders.
“Adequate” is the key word. There is no single national rule that says “one first aider per X workers”; instead, what you provide must fit the nature of your work, your workplace and your workers. You must engage with your workers when deciding what is right, because they understand the real risks of the job.
You work it out by assessing your own situation rather than applying a fixed number.
WorkSafe expects you to take into account all relevant factors, including:
A quiet office near a hospital needs far less than a remote worksite an hour from help.
You need at least one suitable, well-stocked and accessible first aid kit — and often more than one.
Kits should be clearly labelled, located where people actually work, and checked regularly so used or expired items are replaced. Large, multi-level, spread-out or higher-risk workplaces may need several kits, or mobile kits, and bigger or higher-risk operations may need a dedicated first aid room. Match the contents to your risks — a workshop handling chemicals needs different supplies from an office.
First aiders need current training, and you need enough of them to cover all working hours.
A workplace first aid certificate is the usual baseline, with more advanced training where the risk or remoteness warrants it. Make sure you have cover for breaks, shifts, leave and resignations, so there is always someone available. Skills fade, so refresher training matters: the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation recommends refreshing CPR at least annually, and refresher training for first aiders every two years is widely treated as good practice.
Workers who move around or work alone still need first aid cover — just delivered differently.
For couriers, drivers, tradespeople and others whose workplace changes, make sure they can contact first aiders or emergency services and know how to respond. Practical steps include carrying a kit in the vehicle and knowing the nearest medical centre or hospital. For isolated and lone workers, reliable communication and check-in arrangements are part of meeting your first aid duty.
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There is no fixed national ratio. You assess what is adequate based on the number and spread of workers, the hazards and likely injuries, how fast emergency services can reach you, your shifts and cover arrangements, and your workers' views. A low-risk office needs far fewer than a high-risk or remote site.
Yes. You must provide adequate first aid equipment, which includes at least one suitable, stocked and accessible kit. Larger, spread-out or higher-risk workplaces often need several kits or mobile kits, checked and restocked regularly.
The business (the PCBU) must provide adequate first aid, which includes ensuring there are enough trained first aiders. In practice the cost of providing and maintaining that capability sits with the business, not the worker.
Skills fade over time. The Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation recommends refreshing CPR at least annually, and refresher training for first aiders every two years is widely treated as good practice.
They still need first aid cover. Make sure they can contact first aiders or emergency services and know how to respond — for example, by carrying a kit and the details of the nearest medical centre, and by having reliable communication and check-in arrangements for lone workers.
