First Aid requalification deadline approaching

Posted 4 years ago

First Aid at Work or Emergency First Aid at Work training certificates that expire after the 16th March 2020 remained valid until the 31st October 2020 (or are valid for 6 months after date of expiry, whichever is later).

That means that all requalification training for these certificates should be completed by 31st March 2021.

In order to qualify for the extension, employers must be able to demonstrate that they have made every effort to arrange requalification training as soon as possible and can explain in detail why they have not been able to do so. You can find out more information about qualifying for the extension on the HSE website.

The HSE also tells us that they now support the use of online refresher training:

If first aiders are unable to access annual refresher training face to face during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, HSE supports the use of online refresher training to keep their skills up to date.

The HSE

Additional information and advice from the HSE

If first aid cover for your business is reduced because of coronavirus or you can’t get the first aid training you need, there are some things you can do so that you still comply with the law.

The HSE

These include:

Keeping enough first aid cover

In order to reduce the amount of first aid cover you actually need, your organisation could reduce the number of higher-risk activities in your workplace, therefore needing less first aid cover. Also, ensuring fewer people are coming into the workplace.

Sharing first aid cover with another business

If a nearby business has the knowledge, experience, and availability, they might also be able to cover the first aid needs of your organisation.

Note that shared first aiders must:

Understand the details of your work environment and first aid facilities
Be able to get to your workplace in a reasonable amount of time
Understand the type of injuries & illnesses that you identified in your first aid needs assessment and have the training to address them

Online First Aid Refresher Training

Our IIRSM Approved & Skills for Care Endorsed First Aid Refresher courses are the ideal solution for organisations that are seeking an alternative to face-to-face training.

Our First Aid at Work Refresher course can be completed in just 80 minutes, and our Emergency First Aid at Work Refresher course in just 50 minutes. Both courses provide a printable certificate upon completion of the end-of-training test.

Interested in seeing the courses? Why not get started with a free, no-obligation trial today?