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First Aid Courses by Location
Choose the right first aid qualification for your workplace — from one-day Emergency First Aid at Work to three-day First Aid at Work, plus paediatric, mental health, and defibrillator training.
Which First Aid Course Do You Need?
The course follows from your needs assessment, not from headcount alone. Risk level, workforce size, shift patterns, lone working and how far you are from emergency services all feed into it.
| Course | Length | Typically for |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) | 1 day | Lower-risk workplaces — offices, shops, small businesses |
| First Aid at Work (FAW) | 3 days | Higher-risk work — construction, manufacturing, warehousing |
| FAW Requalification (FAWR) | 2 days | Renewing an FAW certificate before it expires |
| Paediatric First Aid | 2 days | Early years settings — nurseries, childminders, schools |
| Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) | Varies | Workplace mental health first aiders |
| Defibrillator (AED) | Half day | Sites with an AED, often taken alongside EFAW or FAW |
Not sure which applies? The free first aid needs assessment tool works through the HSE framework and gives you a dated record to file.
First Aid and the Law
What the regulations actually require
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require every employer to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel. There is no statutory ratio of first aiders to staff — adequacy is determined by your own needs assessment.
In practice that means assessing the risk, deciding on cover, appointing people, providing equipment, and telling employees what the arrangements are. The assessment should be recorded and reviewed when anything material changes.
First aiders and appointed persons
A qualified first aider holds a current EFAW or FAW certificate. An appointed person takes charge in an emergency, calls the emergency services and looks after the equipment — but is not trained to give treatment.
Low-risk workplaces can sometimes rely on an appointed person alone. Anywhere the assessment identifies a real risk of injury, that is unlikely to be adequate.
Covering absence and shifts
Cover has to hold when people are on leave, off sick or on a different shift. One trained first aider is one person who will sometimes not be there.
Employers with shift patterns, multiple sites or lone workers usually need more first aiders than headcount alone would suggest, and the needs assessment is where that gets justified.
Choosing a provider
Since 2013 the HSE has not approved or maintained a list of first aid training providers. Employers are responsible for checking that whoever they use is competent.
Most providers work within a recognised awarding organisation or trade body framework. Ask what the certificate is awarded under, and keep a record of the checks you made.
Certificates, Renewal and Refreshers
Three years — and the deadline is hard
EFAW and FAW certificates are valid for three years. The HSE treats a first aider as no longer qualified once the certificate has expired, so cover lapses on that date.
FAW holders renew with the two-day requalification course, but only if it is completed before expiry. Let it run out and it is the full three days again. Check your date with our free tool, which also tells you whether you still qualify for the shorter route.
Annual refresher training
The HSE strongly recommends annual refresher training during the three-year certificate period, typically a half day, to keep skills current between requalifications.
It is a recommendation rather than a legal requirement, but it is routinely expected in audits and by insurers, and it is what stops skills decaying over three years of not using them.
Keeping records
Keep the needs assessment, the certificates, and a note of the expiry dates. Auditors ask for the assessment as often as they ask for the certificates.
Our free health and safety templates and tools include a training matrix that tracks who is covered and when each certificate runs out.
Training a whole team
Where several people need certificating, on-site delivery at your own premises is usually cheaper than sending people out once travel and lost working time are counted.
It also lets you train against your own environment and equipment, which makes the scenarios more useful than a generic classroom.
Beyond Workplace First Aid
Paediatric First Aid
Required in early years settings under the EYFS framework, and different in content from workplace first aid — it covers child and infant casualties, choking, febrile convulsions and meningitis awareness.
Ofsted-registered settings have specific staffing requirements, so check current EYFS guidance rather than assuming workplace certificates transfer. Browse paediatric courses.
Mental health first aid
Mental health first aiders are trained to recognise the signs of poor mental health and offer initial support until professional help is available. There is no legal requirement to appoint them, but many employers now include them in their first aid provision.
Browse MHFA courses or the wider mental health and wellbeing range.
Mental Health Advocate
A step beyond first aid response — advocates are trained to champion positive mental health across a workplace, supporting colleagues and helping shift the culture rather than only responding when someone is struggling.
It works well alongside trained mental health first aiders rather than instead of them. Browse Mental Health Advocate courses.
Defibrillators
Survival from sudden cardiac arrest falls sharply with every minute of delay, which is why early defibrillation matters so much. AEDs are designed to be usable by untrained bystanders and will not deliver a shock unless it is needed.
Training builds the confidence to actually reach for one under pressure. Browse AED courses.
Common Questions
How many first aiders do we need?
There is no fixed ratio in law. The number comes from your first aid needs assessment, which weighs the risk level of the work, how many people are on site, shift patterns, lone working, and distance from emergency services. Our free needs assessment tool works through the HSE framework and produces a dated record.
EFAW or FAW — which one?
EFAW is one day and suits lower-risk workplaces such as offices and shops. FAW is three days and covers a wider range of injuries and medical emergencies, which is what higher-risk environments like construction and manufacturing generally need. Your needs assessment should tell you which.
What happens if my first aid certificate has expired?
You are no longer counted as a qualified first aider from the expiry date, so your employer's cover lapses. FAW holders can only take the shorter two-day requalification if they book it before expiry — afterwards it is the full three-day course again.
Do I need annual refresher training?
It is not a legal requirement, but the HSE strongly recommends a short annual refresher during the three-year certificate period. It is commonly expected in audits and by insurers, and it keeps skills usable between requalifications.
Can first aid training be done online?
Practical skills such as CPR and recovery positioning have to be assessed in person, so EFAW and FAW involve face-to-face training. Some providers offer blended delivery, with theory online and a shorter practical session. Fully online first aid courses do not lead to an EFAW or FAW certificate.
Is a first aid certificate valid at a different employer?
The certificate belongs to the individual and remains valid for its three years wherever they work. Whether it is the right certificate for the new role depends on that employer's needs assessment — an office EFAW may not be adequate on a construction site.
Envico is an independent booking service, not a training provider. All first aid courses listed here are advertised and delivered by independent training providers. This page is general guidance and does not replace your own first aid needs assessment.