First aid courses: EFAW or First Aid at Work?
Choose workplace first-aid training from your first-aid needs assessment. Course length and price are useful details, but they do not decide which level of cover your workplace needs.
Start with the workplace, not a headcount shortcut
HSE’s needs-assessment guidance considers the work, hazards, workforce, working patterns, absences and accident history. Location, lone working and access to emergency services can also affect the arrangements. There is no single employee-number rule that selects a course for every workplace.
Keep a record of why you chose the training and how you will maintain cover across shifts, leave and other absences. If the assessment identifies additional needs, discuss those with a competent provider rather than assuming a standard course covers them.
How EFAW and FAW differ
| Route | Scope | HSE training benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) | Emergency first-aid response for injury or illness at work. | At least 6 training and assessment contact hours over one day. |
| First Aid at Work (FAW) | Includes EFAW-level response and a wider range of specified injuries and illnesses. | At least 18 training and assessment contact hours over three days. |
The scope distinction is set out in HSE’s training guidance; the contact-hour benchmarks are in GEIS3. Confirm the provider’s timetable, assessment and any preparation. Do not select EFAW solely because a business is small, or FAW solely because it is large.
Check the provider’s competence
HSE no longer approves ordinary workplace first-aid training and qualifications. The employer is responsible for selecting a competent provider. Regulated qualifications are one route; HSE also describes other routes, so an approval logo alone is not your complete check.
Ask about trainer and assessor qualifications, quality assurance, current first-aid practice, the syllabus, practical assessment and the certificate. HSE’s GEIS3 checklist gives an employer a structured way to make those enquiries.
Plan renewal and workplace cover
GEIS3 specifies three-year validity for FAW and EFAW certificates. Ask about requalification in good time and keep refresher needs under review. Do not confuse a short refresher session with the full qualification or requalification route.
Plan cover during the course itself as well as afterwards. If the existing first aider is away training, somebody still needs to manage the workplace arrangements. Check shift patterns and planned leave rather than counting certificates without considering availability.
Other first-aid needs
Paediatric, sector-specific and other specialist requirements need their own checks. Tell the provider who the first aider may need to help, the work environment and any sector requirement. A course with “first aid” in the title does not establish that it meets every requirement.
This guide helps you compare training routes. Use your workplace assessment and the relevant current guidance to decide your arrangements, then confirm course suitability directly with the provider.
Compare nearby in-person courses
Use the course name and your location to find listed providers. Check the centre address, exact course and assessment arrangements on the provider’s own website before booking. Course Radar does not provide the training, take course payments or handle the booking.