Is First Aid at Work Enough for Events?
One of the most common questions we hear from event organisers is:
“Is First Aid at Work enough for my event?”
It’s a fair question. Many organisers already have staff or volunteers with First Aid at Work (FAAW) certificates, and for small, low-risk events it can feel proportionate to rely on those skills.
As explained in our guide on how much medical cover does my event need, medical provision for events should always be based on risk rather than attendance alone.
However, First Aid at Work and event medical cover are designed for very different contexts. Understanding where FAAW is appropriate – and where it clearly is not – is essential for meeting your duty of care and avoiding challenge from insurers, local authorities or Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs).
This article explains the difference in plain terms.
Is First Aid at Work enough for events in practice?
First Aid at Work training is designed around workplace environments, not public events.
The framework is set by the Health & Safety Executive , and assumes:
- A controlled environment
- A known workforce
- Predictable hazards
- Clear access for emergency services
- Limited numbers of people
In that context, FAAW works very well. It provides staff with the skills to deal with common injuries and illnesses until professional help arrives.
Public events are different.
How events differ from workplaces
Even relatively small public events introduce factors that are not present in most workplaces, including:
- Members of the public with unknown medical histories
- Children and vulnerable adults
- Alcohol or substance use
- Environmental exposure (heat, cold, uneven ground)
- Crowd movement and congestion
- Delayed ambulance access due to traffic management
These factors fundamentally change the level of foreseeable medical risk.
UK event safety guidance therefore treats events as a separate category, requiring their own risk-led approach to medical provision.
When First Aid at Work may be enough
There are situations where FAAW can be proportionate.
Typically, this applies where all of the following are true:
- The event is small and short in duration
- There is no alcohol
- The audience profile is known and low risk
- Environmental risks are minimal
- Ambulance access is straightforward
- The medical needs assessment identifies only minor foreseeable injuries
Examples might include:
- A small indoor community meeting
- A low-risk school open evening
- A short-duration workplace-style event on private premises
Even then, the decision should be recorded within a Medical Needs Assessment, not assumed.
When First Aid at Work is usually not enough
For most public events, FAAW on its own is not sufficient.
This is because FAAW:
- Does not include clinical governance arrangements
- Does not cover patient observation or hold-and-observe care
- Does not provide advanced assessment or decision-making
- Does not address safeguarding in public environments
- Does not include structured escalation or resilience planning
The Purple Guide is clear that event medical provision must be:
- Risk-led
- Appropriate to the audience and activity
- Planned so as not to rely on routine 999 response
Sole reliance on FAAW-trained staff rarely meets that threshold for public events.
A common misconception: “We’ve never had an incident”
Past experience is often raised as reassurance.
However, UK guidance is explicit that:
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future risk.
Medical planning must be based on foreseeable risk, not historical good fortune. Many serious incidents occur at events with no previous history of harm.
Another misconception: “We’ll just call 999 if needed”
Planning to rely on the emergency services for predictable medical demand is not considered appropriate.
Well-resourced events are expected to:
- Treat the majority of patients on site
- Reduce unnecessary ambulance conveyance
- Minimise impact on local NHS services
This expectation is reinforced across NHS emergency preparedness doctrine and event safety guidance.
The organiser’s duty of care
Event organisers have a clear duty of care to:
- Attendees
- Staff and volunteers
- Contractors
If a foreseeable injury or illness occurs and the level of medical provision is found to be inadequate, this can attract scrutiny from:
- Local authorities
- Insurers
- Coroners
- The courts
Having a documented, risk-led rationale for your medical arrangements is therefore critical.
A balanced conclusion
First Aid at Work is not inadequate training – it is simply designed for a different purpose.
For very low-risk events, FAAW may form part of an appropriate solution. For most public events, it should be supplemented or replaced by event-specific medical provision that reflects the true risk profile.
If you’re unsure whether FAAW is enough for your event, that uncertainty is itself a signal that a proper medical needs assessment is required.
Further guidance for organisers
If you’d like a clearer picture of what proportionate medical cover looks like for different types of events, our free organiser guide explains how UK guidance is applied in practice.