I have come across a senario where an organisation with just over 50 employees has more than dequate First Aid cover during normal working hours, however there is an issue with Friday afternoons. Its a single shift operation with a 1.30pm early finish on a Friday. However due to having a large customer base in the US and team of US based FSE's the sales and shipping department work on until 4pm. This is 1 person is sales and 1 person in shipping and it is not the same person each week as they take it in turns to cover. A number of people regularly work beyond 1.30pm on a Friday, taking advantage of the quiet afternoon to clear their desk before the weekend, but by 3.00 pm they will all have left leaving just 2 people on site. There is no high risk activity during this time, the work is desk based with computer and phones, but if required, the person in shipping may be required to pick small engineering parts from stock and pack them in a cardboard box for a courier to collect. Lone working is not allowed, with a rule that the last 2 people on site leave together. Short of training everyone who might work on a Friday afternoon, 9 people in this case, how do others provide FA cover for a skeleton staff when it is different people each week ?

if you apply the "suggestions" on the HSE FAW website for a low risk environment with less than 25 persons you would still require an appointed person. Phil

What is an appointed person? When an employer's first-aid needs assessment identifies that a first-aider is not necessary, the minimum requirement is to appoint a person to take charge of first-aid arrangements. The role of this appointed person includes looking after the first-aid equipment and facilities and calling the emergency services when required. They can also provide emergency cover, within their role and competence, where a first-aider is absent due to unforeseen circumstances (annual leave does not count). Do appointed persons need to undertake first-aid training? To fulfil their role, appointed persons do not need first-aid training. However, emergency first-aid training courses are available. Can appointed persons perform first aid, eg cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)? Appointed persons are not first-aiders and should not attempt to give first aid for which they have not been trained. The above is taken straight from HSE website (sorry if its got copyright implications Mods.) So a 1 hour toolbox talk structured to give the 9 staff members a competency as stated above is not that onerous. Phil