Under work health and safety laws in South Australia, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) at a workplace must ensure first aid equipment for the workplace. Every employee at the workplace must access at least one first aid kit. Whatever equipment and facilities are adequate and suitable for the administration of first aid in that workplace. 

Keep first aid kits close to areas with a higher risk of injury or illness and inside work vehicles if employees are expected to travel as part of their job.

The PCBU must also ensure that an adequate number of employees are trained to administer first aid at the workplace or that employees have access to an adequate number of people other than employees who have been trained to administer first aid. 

To be adequate, the number of available first aiders varies according to the level of risk in your workplace, as well as the number of employees present at any one time. More first aiders will be appropriate for workplaces with higher levels of risk. 

It is recommended to have one first aider for every 25 employees in a high-risk workplace or every 50 employees in a low-risk workplace. 

To determine what type of first aid equipment and supplies are suitable and how many trained first aiders are needed, the PCBU must have regard to all relevant matters, including: 

  • the nature of the work being carried out at the workplace 

  • the nature of the hazards at the workplace  

  • the size and location of the workplace, and  

  • the number and composition of the employees and other persons at the workplace. 

A risk management approach and consultation with employees and other duty holders can help to indicate the type and nature of the facilities that would be suitable. For example, if responsibilities are shared with other business operators involved in the same activities or who share the same workplace, the various PCBUs should discuss first aid requirements and cooperate and coordinate with each other.  

Further details are provided in the  First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice (June 2020)