Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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799. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures in place to ensure first aid officers are appointed at factories; whose responsibility it is to ensure they receive regular training; if there are any guidelines for business owners on having a defibrillator in the workplace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20771/16]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The statutory requirements regarding the provision of first aid are set down in Chapter 2 of Part 7 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2016. This legislation requires employers to have a sufficient number of trained occupational first aiders and first aid equipment in the workplace, based on a risk assessment.

As with all occupational safety and health requirements, the employer must carry out a risk assessment of their workplace and this should consider issues including; numbers employed, the nature of the work, the degree of hazard, the level of accidents arising, the size and location of the workplace, the distribution of the employees, shift working, availability of an occupational health service within the workplace and the distance and duration from external medical services. Taking all the information gathered during the risk assessment into account, the employer must provide appropriate first aid provisions for his or her employees.

The Health and Safety Authority’s Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Work,published in 2008, provide a practical guide to employers including help in determining the number of trained occupational first aiders required having regard to the number of employees and the type of industry involved.

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that adequate first aid training is provided to an employee who is designated to be occupational first aider. The employer is required to make the appropriate arrangements for first-aid training. Under the terms of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, any employees attending such training shall not be at any loss for their participation in such training. The employer is also responsible for ensuring that designated employees are afforded the opportunity to refresh their first-aid training at regular intervals and at a minimum of every two years.

The comprehensive guidance and information in the HSA Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Workincludes information on occupational first aid training standards and certification, and the requirements for Occupational First Aid training providers.

There is no legislative requirement on an employer to have an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in the workplace. However, it is good practice, in line with the advice for employers in the HSA Guidelines on First Aid at Places of Work,for employers to consider the provision of an AED in the workplace. This may not, of course, prove to be feasible for some small businesses in view of the potentially high initial costs and the need to ensure ongoing maintenance. There are, however, good examples of a number of small businesses combining in a shared arrangement, notably in work locations such as shopping centres and small business enterprise centres. The operation of defibrillators (AEDs) is part of the initial and refresher training provided for occupational first aiders.