How to Use This Resource: First Aid Needs Assessment and Provision Record

Purpose and outcome (what it’s for)

This guidance-note helps you use the First Aid Needs Assessment & Provision Record to make sure first aid cover is planned, suitable for the job, and kept up to date as the site changes.

Good completion looks like:

• The site’s people, risks, and layout are captured (not guessed).
• You can clearly show who the first aiders are, what equipment is on site, and where it is.
• Lone working/out-of-hours arrangements are practical and written down.
• Actions are raised where there are gaps (e.g., training expiry, not enough kits, poor access).
• The record is reviewed when things change and filed with emergency arrangements.

Who uses it (roles and responsibilities)

When to use it (project workflow and triggers)

• At mobilisation / before work starts: complete it alongside site set-up, induction, and emergency arrangements.
• At each phase change: when the job moves area/floor, the layout changes, or access routes change.
• When people numbers change: more trades, bigger gang, or reduced cover (holidays/sickness).
• When work scope changes: new higher-risk activities (e.g., hot works, excavations, roof work, temporary electrics).
• When hours change: weekend working, night shifts, or lone working starts.
• After an incident/near miss: check if first aid cover/equipment/location contributed or needs improving.

Rule of thumb: If you update your RAMS/CPP because the job changed, you should also check whether this first aid record needs an update.

Before you start (information and evidence you’ll need)

• Expected headcount: typical and peak numbers (include subcontractors and delivery/offload routines where relevant).
• Planned activities for this phase: what trades are on, what high-risk tasks are happening and where.
• Site layout and access: welfare location, workfaces, multiple floors/areas, gates, security, lift restrictions, long walk-ins.
• Emergency details: site postcode, best access point, who meets ambulance, what3words (if used), any known response delays.
• First aider details: names, employer, type of training, and certificate expiry dates (see the certificates).
• Equipment list: what kits you have, where they’ll be kept, who checks/restocks, and any specialist items (eye wash, burns).
• Lone working/out-of-hours plan: who, where, when, check-in method, and what happens if they don’t respond.

Tip: Don’t do this from the office. Walk the site (or drawings) and decide where first aid needs to be reachable quickly, not just “stored somewhere”.

How to complete it (step-by-step)

Review and approval (what “good checking” looks like)

Reviewer: site lead/supervisor, and the Principal Contractor if they require it (or if your arrangements link into their emergency plan).

Review checks:

• Headcount and peak numbers are realistic for the phase.
• Higher-risk activities ticked match current RAMS/permits (hot works, excavations, lifting, etc.).
• There is first aid cover for the whole shift, including breaks and split areas.
• Certificates are in date (or replacement is booked before expiry).
• Kits are located where they can be reached quickly; locations match the noticeboard/site briefing.
• Lone worker/out-of-hours plan is workable (and restrictions are clear).
• Actions are assigned and followed up.

Escalate if: you cannot provide cover for planned numbers/risks, there’s regular lone working without a solid check-in plan, emergency access is restricted, or first aid cover relies on “one person who might not be there”.

Recordkeeping (storage, version control, retention)

• Store with: emergency arrangements / site rules / CPP / RAMS pack (as used on your job).
• On-site access: keep a printed copy in the welfare/site file and make sure the latest version is the one being used.
• Version control: keep older versions if the project is long-running—file them in date order so you can show the provision was reviewed as the job changed.
• Retention: keep at least for the project duration plus your normal H&S record retention period (follow company policy/PC requirements). If unsure, keep it with the job file.
• Audit readiness: be able to show evidence for statements made (e.g., certificate photos, kit check notes, noticeboard updates).

How often to review or update

• Minimum: at mobilisation and whenever a trigger occurs (numbers, scope, layout, hours, incident).
• Good practice: set a planned review date (e.g., monthly on longer jobs) even if nothing changes—this is a quick “still suitable?” check.
• Also review immediately if: first aider leaves site, certificate expires, a kit is moved, or the workface relocates (new floor/area).

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Mistake: Treating it as a one-off mobilisation form.
  Avoid: Put the next review date in the diary and update it whenever RAMS/plan changes.
• Mistake: Headcount only includes your own staff.
  Avoid: Include subcontractors and any times the site gets busy (deliveries, concrete pour, multiple trades).
• Mistake: Kit location is vague (“in the office”).
  Avoid: Write exact locations and update the noticeboard when moved.
• Mistake: Relying on one trained person with no break/absence cover.
  Avoid: Plan cover for breaks and book extra training or arrange shared cover with PC where agreed.
• Mistake: Expiry dates not checked and training lapses mid-job.
  Avoid: Check certificates and set reminders 2–3 months before expiry.
• Mistake: Lone working allowed without a proper check-in and escalation plan.
  Avoid: Write the check-in routine and “missed check-in” steps; restrict high-risk tasks when alone.
• Mistake: Not linking it to emergency access reality (locked gates, escorts).
  Avoid: Write clear ambulance access instructions and confirm who meets them.

Worked scenario (quick, realistic example)

Job: Small refurbishment with roof repairs over a shop unit.

• People: Typical 6 on site, peak 10 when deliveries and second trade overlap.
• Risks: Work at height, power tools, hot works (bitumen/torch-on for 2 days), public nearby at entrance.
• Site factors: Multiple floors, long walk-in from rear gate, mobile signal patchy inside stairwell.
• Decision/provision recorded: Two trained first aiders per shift (to cover breaks/split areas), main kit in welfare plus a second kit taken to roof workface, eye wash for dust/chemical splash, burns provision for hot works days, radios used for call-out, named person meets ambulance at rear gate.
• Lone working/out-of-hours: Early start for supervisor to open up—check-in call at start and at set time; no roof work or hot works while alone.
• Actions: Add signage at roof access point, confirm torch-on day cover, set weekly kit check, book refresher training before one certificate expires during the project.