First Aid

First aid is the immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury. This page provides information on the provision of first aid at UCL.

First aid training

UCL will provide an appropriate number of suitably trained first aiders throughout the campus. To undertake first aid training, first aiders must make an application to Safety Services.

> Information about first aid cover during Covid-19

Staff who have the First Aid at Work Certificate, but are located in an area or move to an area which is now assessed as not requiring a first aider with this certificate, will continue to be given refresher training to maintain that competence should they wish.

Apply for first aid training

First aid equipment

First aid boxes

First aid boxes should be located in areas that are not locked so that anyone in the building can have access to it at all times, for example kitchens or reception areas.

The contents of first aid boxes should be checked periodically. Many items, particularly sterile ones, are marked with expiry dates. You shoud replace expired items, disposing of them safely. If a sterile item doesn’t have an expiry date, check with the manufacturer to find out how long it can be kept. For non-sterile items without dates, you should check that they are still fit for purpose.

A contents checklist can be kept in the box or displayed on the wall beside the box.

> Download the first aid box checklist

Minimum contents of a first aid box

Guidance leaflet on first aid (e.g. HSE leaflet "Basic advice on first aid at work")
List of contents and the name, location and telephone number of the first aiders and/or appointed persons
20 individually wrapped sterile plasters (assorted sizes), appropriate to the type of work (you can provide hypoallergenic plasters, if necessary)
2 sterile eye pads
4 individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
6 safety pins
2 large, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings
6 medium-sized, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings
A pair of disposable gloves (see HSE leaflet: Latex Allergies)

Do not keep tablets and medicines in the first-aid box.

Fieldwork first aid box

Sufficient supplies for the number of participants involved in the fieldwork
Items necessary for the treatment of injuries specific to the location, particularly if it is remote
It may also be appropriate to carry medicines for emergency use
Information relating to pre-existing conditions that participants may have

Emergency medical kit

Where the standard of health care in the country to be visited is in doubt, sufficient Sterile Medical Packs containing needles, sutures and syringes, for use by medical professionals, should be carried in the first aid kit. Advice can be obtained from UCL Workplace Health.

Automatic External Defibrillators

Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are located throughout the Bloomsbury Campus. These are purchased and managed by UCL Estates.

> See more information about AEDs including a map showing locations of AEDs

AED training

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has stipulated that all first aid training providers should include automated external defibrillator (AED) training on first aid at work courses. This means that:

New first aiders will be trained in how to use an AED
Existing first aiders do not have to re-train - they will update their skills when they requalify

This does not mean that Departments must provide AEDs. Provision will continue to be based on their needs assessment. Examples of risk-based provision include:

Where research participants are selected because they have a history or a vulnerability to heart attack
The workplace is some distance from an A&E department

First aid signs

Departments are responsible for posting signs on doors indicating where first aid boxes are located.

> Further informaiton on health and safety signs

List of first aiders

Safety Services will issue the current list of first aiders for each building. Departments will be asked to display these in due course. In the majority of buildings this will be in first aid sign holders beside the fire action notices.

Last updated: Monday, August 3, 2020