3.1.1. Equipment, supplies and facilities

The Organization of First Aid in the Workplace (ILO, 1999, 70 p.)

3. Responsibilities and participation

3.1. Responsibilities of the employer

		(introduction...)
		3.1.1. Equipment, supplies and facilities
		3.1.2. Human resources
		3.1.3. Other

(introduction...)

First aid must be considered as part of working conditions and sound management, just as making work safe is an essential measure in this respect. The employer must be responsible for organizing first aid and ensuring that it is provided. There may, however, be special situations where other forms of organization may derive from existing patterns of the health services. Each country will have to choose the best method of defining this responsibility and of setting out specific requirements.

Experience in countries where first aid is strongly established suggests that the best way to ensure an effective system is to make it mandatory by legislation. In countries which have chosen this approach, the main requirements are set out in specific first-aid legislation or, more commonly, in national labour codes or similar regulations. In these cases, subsidiary regulations contain more detailed provisions. In most cases, the overall responsibility of the employer for providing and organizing first aid is laid down in the basic enabling legislation. Some examples of first-aid legislation are given in Annex I. Unfortunately, still today, the legal basis for organizing and providing first aid is weak in many countries. This should be corrected.

The responsibility of the employer needs definition in specific terms. Subsections 3.1.1 to 3.1.3 list the principal responsibilities which the employer is usually asked to meet (more details are contained in Chapters 4 and 5).

3.1.1. Equipment, supplies and facilities

(1)	Equipment to rescue the victim at the site of the accident so as to prevent further harm (e.g. in the case of fires, gasing, electrocution).

(2)	First-aid boxes, first-aid kits or similar containers, with a sufficient quantity of the materials and appliances required for the delivery of basic first aid.

(3)	Specialized equipment and supplies which may be required in enterprises presenting specific or unusual risks at work.

(4)	An adequately identified first-aid room or a similar facility where first aid can be administered.

(5)	Provision of means of evacuation and emergency transportation of the injured persons to the first-aid facility or the sites, where further medical care is available.

(6)	Means of giving an alarm and communicating an alert.

3.1.2. Human resources

(1)	Selection, training and retraining of suitable persons for administering first aid, their appointment and location at critical sites throughout the enterprise, and the assurance that they are permanently available and accessible.

(2)	Retraining, including practical exercises simulating emergency situations, with due account given to specific occupational hazards in the enterprise.

3.1.3. Other

(1)	Establishment of a plan, including links between the relevant health or public health services, with a view to the delivery of medical care following first aid.

(2)	Education and information of all workers concerning the prevention of accidents and injuries, and the actions workers must themselves take following an injury, e.g. an immediate shower after a chemical burn.

(3)	Information on the arrangements for first aid, and the periodic updating of this information.

(4)	Posting of information, visual guides, (e.g. posters) and instructions about first aid, and plans with a view to the delivery of medical care after first aid.

The employer must seek advice in organizing first aid, especially from the occupational health and public health services, the labour inspectorate, plant managers and relevant non-governmental organizations, as well as from the workers themselves, who in many cases can provide essential information or sound opinions on the likelihood of accidents in specific situations.

The employer should also study the potential risks to which workers are exposed and should analyse the potential for accidents as a basis for planning and organizing first aid (see Chapter 4). The employer may be required to file a specific report on the provisions made for first aid,¹ or to submit to the verification of conformity with rules for first aid, although, as may be expected, the specific arrangements for this vary greatly from one country to another. The labour inspectorate is usually involved either directly or through existing institutions which may act on its behalf.