Workplace First Aid Required in Australia

26 July 2022

Workplace first aid requirements are a legal duty, not a nice-to-have. Under Australian WHS law, every PCBU must provide first aid equipment, facilities, and access to trained first aiders, and workers must be able to reach all three at any time they're working. This guide covers what the law actually requires, how many first aiders you need, and the gaps that catch employers out.

What the law requires

Safe Work Australia is direct about it: your workers must be able to access first aid equipment, facilities, and trained first aiders at all times. Not during business hours. At all times. That includes night shifts, overtime, and work carried out away from the usual workplace.

Three obligations sit underneath that:

Provide at least one first aid kit, and more if your workplace covers multiple areas or floors.
Provide access to trained first aiders, in numbers appropriate to your risk.
Run a risk assessment to work out what your specific workplace needs, then review it as things change.

The model Code of Practice on first aid in the workplace is the document that turns those duties into practical guidance, and courts can refer to it when deciding whether a business met its obligations.

How many first aiders do you need?

This is the question most employers get wrong, and the mistake is usually the same: assuming one certificate covers the business.

The Code of Practice sets out recommended ratios:

Low-risk workplaces (offices, retail, libraries): one first aider per 50 workers.
High-risk workplaces (construction, manufacturing, warehousing): one first aider per 25 workers.
Remote or isolated high-risk workplaces, where ambulance access is slow: one first aider per 10 workers.

The detail that trips people up: these ratios apply per shift, not to your total headcount. A factory running 60 workers across three shifts of 20 doesn't need one first aider. It needs one on every shift. And a single trained first aider in a business of 40 stops being adequate the day that person calls in sick, which is why most sites train two or three.

Each worksite needs its own provision, too. A builder running three sites needs first aiders at each, not just at head office.

Trained first aider bandaging a worker's hand on an Australian construction site with an open first aid kit

Training that counts

A first aider must hold a nationally recognised qualification issued by a Registered Training Organisation. An in-house toolbox talk doesn't satisfy the requirement.

Currency matters as much as the certificate. Refresh CPR competency every year, and renew the full first aid qualification every three years. A lapsed certificate is not compliance.

One rule that's easy to overlook: first aiders must not exceed their training, and supervisors must not direct them to. Knowing the limit is part of the job.

Where the kit goes

A kit locked in a manager's office at the far end of the site is not accessible. The Code of Practice is specific about placement:

Locate kits close to areas of higher injury risk, a workshop, a plant room, a laboratory.
In a multistorey building, put at least one kit on every second floor.
Mark kit locations on your emergency floor plans.
Provide portable kits in vehicles for mobile workers, secured so they can't become a projectile.

A wall-mounted first aid kit in a visible, signed position beats a box in a cupboard every time. Check and restock kits regularly. A kit someone has raided for band-aids no longer meets the requirement.

Wall-mounted first aid kit in an industrial workshop, meeting workplace first aid requirements for accessible equipment

What belongs in the kit

Your risk assessment drives the contents, and the hazards on your site should shape it. Work with hot surfaces or fire? Include burn treatments. Handle chemicals? Consider eyewash.

The basics cover wound care and bleeding control: dressings, bandages, gauze, adhesive strips, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, and a first aid manual. Antiseptic for cleaning wounds.

One thing to leave out: medication. Workplace kits should not contain paracetamol, antihistamines, or other medications. Administering medication isn't first aid, allergies and interactions are a real risk, and the Code of Practice doesn't provide for it. Where a worker needs an asthma inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector, arrange it in consultation with them rather than stocking it as a general supply.

When you need more than a kit

Some workplaces need equipment beyond the standard kit. The Code of Practice specifically raises an AED where electrocution is a risk, where the ambulance takes too long to arrive, or where large numbers of the public share the site. Cardiac arrest is survivable when someone acts in the first few minutes, and a defibrillator is what makes that possible. Our guide on how an AED saves lives covers when and why.

Eyewash stations, safety showers, and trauma kits belong on sites where the hazards call for them.

Testing whether it works

Having the gear isn't the same as being ready. The Code of Practice suggests running a mock first aid emergency to check your procedures hold up: can people find the kit, do the first aiders know their role, does someone call 000 promptly.

Review your first aid arrangements after an incident, when work activities change, when you bring in new equipment or chemicals, and when worker numbers shift.

If you're not sure your site meets its first aid obligations, or nobody has checked your kits since the day they went up, Checkpoint can review what you have against what your risk profile calls for. Take a look at our first aid range or talk to our team about a site review.

The model Code of Practice recommends one first aider per 50 workers in a low-risk workplace, one per 25 in a high-risk workplace like construction or manufacturing, and one per 10 in a remote high-risk workplace with slow ambulance access. These ratios apply per shift, not to total headcount, so a site running three shifts needs coverage on each one.

Yes. Under Australian WHS law, a PCBU must provide first aid equipment and facilities, and workers must be able to access them at all times, including night shifts and overtime. You need at least one kit, and more if the workplace is spread across multiple areas or floors.

No. Workplace first aid kits should not contain paracetamol, antihistamines, or other medications. Administering medication is not first aid, and allergies and interactions create real risk. Where a worker needs an asthma inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector, that is arranged in consultation with them rather than stocked as a general supply.

CPR competency should be refreshed every year, and the full first aid qualification renewed every three years. The qualification must be nationally recognised and issued by a Registered Training Organisation. An in-house toolbox talk does not satisfy the requirement, and a lapsed certificate is not compliance.

Place kits close to areas of higher injury risk, such as workshops, plant rooms, and laboratories. In a multistorey building, provide at least one kit on every second floor. Mark kit locations on your emergency floor plans, and give mobile workers a portable kit in their vehicle.

The Code of Practice raises an AED where there is a risk of electrocution, where ambulance response is delayed, or where large numbers of the public are present. Your risk assessment should determine whether one is warranted. Cardiac arrest is survivable when someone acts within the first few minutes, and a defibrillator is what makes that possible.

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