As an employer it is vital that employees that fall ill or are injured at work are given immediate medical attention. This is not only for their own sake, it's also because they could die if they do not receive attention and therefore you could face prosecution.
The Health and Safety Executive will always prosecute if they discover there was a significant risk, poor compliance with the law or a disregard for the standards. So to avoid this happening to you it is important to attend a first aid course. Send your appointed person and ideally yourself and your managers for training to reduce the risks.
Your Legal First Aid Duties
Under the Health and Safety First Aid Regulations all employers have to provide adequate facilities and the right type of first aid items as well as experienced and knowledgeable personal. These are required so that immediate action can be taken the moment someone is injured in your work place or if they were to fall ill. These regulations include everyone, not just employers that have more than five employees.
Perform a Risk Assessment
It can be difficult to know what is deemed as adequate. Performing a risk assessment is required to identify what you need to provide. The assessment will also indicate if a first aider is required as well as what you will need to have in the first aid kit and whether you will need to provide a dedicated first aid room on the premises.
While the regulations don't state that you have to provide first aid for the public or children it is strongly advised that you do so. In order to make such provisions you should include the public and children in your first aid risk assessment.
Take Training and Ensure You are Capable of Providing First Aid Care
There are several excellent first aid courses that are ideal for multiple types of industries. Once to consider is the First Aid at Work course that meets the standards that have been set by the HSE and the Health and Safety First Aid Regulations.