Workplace First Aid Requirements in NSW: A Guide for Central Coast Businesses

Every NSW business, from a two-person café in Terrigal to a warehouse in West Gosford, has first aid obligations under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017. Clause 42 puts it plainly: a person conducting a business must provide first aid equipment, access to it, and an adequate number of workers trained to administer first aid.

How many trained first aiders do you need?

The Regulation says "adequate"; SafeWork NSW's First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice turns that into working ratios:

Low-risk workplaces (offices, retail, most hospitality) — 1 trained first aider per 50 workers;
High-risk workplaces (construction, manufacturing, warehousing, trades) — 1 per 25 workers;
Remote or isolated work — 1 per 10, because help is further away.

Those are minimums, and they have to hold across shifts, leave and site locations — one certificate in a business of forty people stops being "adequate" the day that person calls in sick. Most Central Coast businesses train two or three so the roster always has cover.

What training counts?

The Code of Practice expects first aiders to hold HLTAID011 Provide First Aid (or a higher qualification) delivered by a registered training organisation, renewed every 3 years with an annual CPR refresh. In-house "toolbox talk" training doesn't satisfy it — the qualification must be nationally recognised.

Kits, signage and procedures

Alongside trained people you need: a stocked first aid kit suited to your risks (and one per vehicle for mobile workers), clear signage so workers can find kit and first aiders, and first aid procedures workers actually know about. High-risk sites and larger workplaces may also warrant a dedicated first aid room — the Code sets out when.

What does non-compliance look like?

First aid comes up in two ways: SafeWork NSW inspections (improvement notices are the usual first step) and — far worse — after an incident, when "was there a trained first aider on site?" becomes a question with legal weight. The cost of training a couple of staff is trivial next to either.

Sorting it for your team

We train Central Coast first aid officers at our Erina venue every week — HLTAID011 First Aid is $95 and takes 3 hours face-to-face after a short online component, certificate issued the same day. Booking several staff? Call 1300 628 299 and we'll line the dates up with your roster.