Sector news
Published 15 Jul 2026
· 3 min read
HSE consultation on first aid needs assessment – respond by October
HSE is consulting on revised guidance for how employers assess their first aid provision. Training providers are named as a group it wants to hear from, and the window closes on 31 October.
The Health and Safety Executive has opened a consultation on revisions to its guidance on first aid needs assessment. The draft puts more weight on the assessment itself and less on headcount thresholds, and asks specifically about how well the current guidance works for small employers and for workplaces with lone or remote workers.
Training providers are one of the groups HSE has asked to respond, on the basis that they see the results of needs assessments across many employers rather than one.
The short version
- What is changing:
- Guidance on how employers decide their first aid provision, not the First Aid at Work regulations themselves.
- Who it affects:
- Employers carrying out a needs assessment, and the providers who advise them.
- Closing date:
- 31 October 2026