Workplace First Aid in New Zealand: Kits, People and Planning

First aid at work is a response capability, not just a box on a wall. A worker needs to know where equipment is, how to summon a trained person and what to do until further help arrives. Those arrangements must still work during a night shift, on a mobile route or at an isolated site. They should match the injuries or illnesses that could arise from the actual work rather than a generic office checklist.

The legal starting point is regulation 13 of the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016. It requires a PCBU to provide adequate first aid equipment for the workplace, ensure workers can access it and access facilities for administering first aid, and ensure an adequate number of trained workers or access to an adequate number of other trained people. WorkSafe New Zealand's first aid guide explains how to decide what is adequate. This page gives an operational approach, not a medical treatment guide.

Adequate depends on the workplace

Regulation 13 directs the PCBU to consider the nature of the work, hazards, size and location of the workplace, and the number and composition of workers and other people there. These factors should drive the first aid assessment. A small office near medical help differs from a workshop with machinery, a farm with dispersed workers or a mobile team that may be far from emergency services.

Do not reduce the decision to total employees. Twenty trained people recorded on a staff list may not mean that any are present when a particular shift works. A first aid room on one floor may be inaccessible to a distant site area. A contractor may have its own trained person, but that should be a confirmed arrangement rather than an assumption. WorkSafe's interpretive guidance explains that the number of first aiders trained or accessible must be adequate for the circumstances.

Start by mapping where and when people work. Include temporary workers, contractors and visitors where relevant. Identify likely injuries and illnesses, the distance and travel time to medical help, communication coverage, shift patterns and absence cover. Discuss the arrangements with workers and representatives. They may know that a kit is locked after hours or that the named first aider works at another location most days.

There is no universal first-aider ratio

The New Zealand regulation uses an adequacy test, not one national first-aider-per-headcount formula for all workplaces. A number suggested by a planning tool cannot establish legal compliance by itself. Ask whether a trained person can actually respond to each work area and shift and whether the person's training suits the risks. Remote work, chemical exposure or large numbers of people may alter the answer.

Use the Complys first-aiders planning tool to structure a headcount discussion, then test the output against the site, rosters, hazards and WorkSafe's guidance. The tool is a planning aid, not a legal determination or proof of an individual's training. A PCBU should record why its chosen coverage is adequate and revisit the decision when people or work change.

Check holiday, sickness, training days, travel, overtime and breaks. If two teams work in different parts of a large site, a person assigned to one may not reach the other promptly. Where first aid is provided through another business or nearby service, confirm availability and response in practice. An arrangement that exists only in a contract may fail when someone needs help.

Put the right kits where people can use them

WorkSafe's first aid guide says at least one first aid kit should be available for each workplace and explains that additional kits may be needed across separated areas. Kit contents should reflect the risks of the work. Eye protection and supplies for an eye injury may be more relevant to one task; a remote worker may need equipment suited to the expected delay before further help. Do not assume a kit sold as “compliant” covers every hazard at the site.

Make equipment visible and accessible. A kit locked in the manager's office cannot help a worker when the manager is away. If work happens in vehicles or at changing sites, plan what portable kit is available. WorkSafe's guide discusses portable kits for mobile workers whose vehicle is their workplace. Secure the kit so it does not become a hazard in a collision and make sure the user can reach it when needed.

Give someone responsibility for checking and replacing supplies. Items can be used, damaged, contaminated or expire. The person should know what the workplace assessment says belongs in the kit, where replacements are kept and how to report a gap. WorkSafe's guidance recommends regular checks and restocking. A signature on an inventory matters less than whether the equipment will be usable when needed.

Decide whether extra facilities are needed

Some work may require a first aid room or other facilities. Consider the type and frequency of foreseeable injury, the number of people present, privacy, access and distance to medical care. WorkSafe's first aid guidance discusses these factors. It does not mean every business over a single headcount needs the same facility. A workplace where treatment cannot be provided safely in an operating area may need a separate space.

Special equipment may also be relevant. WorkSafe discusses when an automated external defibrillator might be considered, such as delayed ambulance access or particular risks. Whether one is suitable for a site should be assessed with maintenance, visibility and training in mind. Do not treat this general article as a prescription for a medical device or a guarantee that a facility is adequate.

Train people and tell everyone the plan

First aiders need training that matches their role and workplace risks. Check the training provider, course content, currency and whether more specialised preparation is needed for the work. WorkSafe's guide discusses refresher training and notes external resuscitation guidance. Avoid presenting one general training interval as a universal statutory renewal period for every course or workplace.

Workers should know the kit locations, the names and contact details of first aiders, any first aid room and the procedure for summoning help. Give this information at induction and when the arrangement changes. Post details where people work, not only on an office noticeboard. For a field crew, a phone or radio procedure may be more useful than a building map. Confirm that contacts are current and that a worker can direct emergency services to the correct entrance or remote location.

First aiders should not be left to invent a response during an incident. Connect the first aid procedure with the workplace emergency plan: who calls for help, who coordinates, where equipment is, how access is opened and what happens when a first aider is absent. Do not train an unqualified person to perform treatment beyond their capability through a written guide. Medical treatment decisions belong to appropriately trained people and health services.

Remote and mobile work need special thought

A remote worker may be alone, far from a medical centre and without reliable mobile coverage. WorkSafe says remote or isolated workers may need additional kit contents and a way to get help. Consider how the worker will signal distress, how another person will know where they are, how emergency services can reach them and whether the task should be done alone at all. A kit cannot solve a communication failure.

For workers moving between sites, decide what the employer provides, what the host site provides and how the worker learns the host arrangements. The two businesses should coordinate where duties overlap. A host's first aid room may be available during business hours but not on an after-hours job. Check access rather than relying on a site induction delivered months earlier.

Example: office and field service team

A company has an office, plus technicians who drive to customer premises. Its office kit and trained office worker do not automatically cover technicians on the road. The PCBU assesses the field tasks, travel and communication, provides suitable vehicle kits, checks whether technicians need training and agrees how they summon help. It also checks who covers the office on leave days. The plan is communicated to workers and revisited after a change in work area or shift pattern.

The example is a way of thinking through adequacy, not a statement that every service company needs the same kit or number of first aiders. The actual decision must follow the work and current New Zealand requirements.

Review after incidents and change

Replenish supplies after use. Review if the type of work, workforce, site layout, hours or medical access changes. Ask whether first aiders were reachable during exercises and real events, whether the contact method worked and whether equipment was where workers expected it. Correct the underlying gap and tell everyone affected. A first aid treatment record may inform improvement, but it is separate from the legal question of whether an event must be notified to WorkSafe.

Under HSWA section 27, a PCBU must not levy workers for something done or provided in relation to health and safety. WorkSafe's first aid guide notes this for kits and facilities. Do not shift the cost of necessary first aid provision onto workers.

For wider safety information management, evaluate Complys New Zealand health and safety software. Ask the product team to demonstrate current functions.