Workplace First Aid Risk Assessment Template & Action Plan
Document what could happen at your workplace, who may need help, what access really looks like and what must change. Start with a short assessment you can print, then use the deeper guide to test it against the Safe Work Australia model Code.
Reviewed: 9 August 2026. This builder stores nothing and sends nothing; your answers remain in this browser until you print, save or close the page.
Build a first-aid assessment and action plan
Use one form for one site or work group with the same realistic access to first aid. For a split site, mobile crew or separate shift, make another assessment rather than averaging away the gap.
Your assessment will appear here
Complete the site, people, hazards and access fields. The result will identify planning prompts and preserve your own action notes for printing.
First, separate the legal duty from the planning guidance
Model WHS Regulation 42 requires a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure provision of first-aid equipment for the workplace, that each worker has access to it, access to facilities for administering first aid, and an adequate number of workers trained to administer first aid or access to an adequate number of other people trained to do so. It does not supply a universal kit-per-worker or first-aider formula.
The Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace explains one method of working out what is adequate. It says a first-aid risk assessment should consider the nature of work, workplace hazards, size and location, the number and composition of workers and other people, access between work areas, shifts, remote or isolated work and emergency services. Its ratios, kit example and room thresholds are model-Code recommendations, not a substitute for assessing the site.
Safe Work Australia develops national model policy and guidance; it is not the enforcement regulator. Confirm the applicable law and current approved guidance with the relevant state, territory or Commonwealth regulator. Victoria uses its own OHS framework, while other jurisdictions can adopt or vary model material.
Why the builder asks these questions
This is a source map, not an assertion that ticking every field creates compliance. It lets a manager, HSR or researcher see why a planning question exists and follow it to the primary material.
| Assessment field | What it tests | Official source trail |
|---|---|---|
| Site, people and work pattern | Maximum people at one time, workforce composition, contractors, visitors, shifts and separate locations. | Safe Work Australia: First aid; model Code risk-assessment factors and Appendix D example. |
| Hazards and incident history | What serious or common injuries/illnesses are foreseeable, and whether past events show a control gap. | Model Code: First aid in the workplace, risk assessment and review guidance. |
| Access and isolation | Prompt access to first aiders, kits, facilities, communication and emergency services, including vehicles and remote work. | Safe Work Australia: First aid; model Code remote and isolated work guidance. |
| Current arrangements | Whether equipment, facilities, trained people and procedures are available whenever people work. | Safe Work Australia: First aid; model Regulation 42 planning context. |
| Consultation, actions and review | Worker input, accountable action owners, and review after change, drills or an incident. | Model Code review section; identify local legal requirements with the official regulator directory. |
Turn findings into specific resource decisions
Four real-world assessment scenarios
Office across two floors
A 62-person office has a low injury profile, but reception and the upper floor work late. The starting ratio alone does not answer whether a trained person, kit and emergency access are available after 6 pm or upstairs when the usual first aider is absent.
Workshop and warehouse
A mixed workplace should not average its hazards into “medium risk”. Assess machinery, forklifts, manual handling, chemicals and access routes where the work occurs. Review whether a room, nearby kit modules and trained coverage suit the high-risk area and each shift.
Mobile maintenance crew
A van-based team moves between customer sites. Their assessment needs vehicle kit security, phone coverage, exact-location communication, lone work, handover and who can assist when a crew member is not near the depot.
Community venue event
A quiet venue may become busy for a weekend event. Record predictable public numbers, volunteer coverage, AED/kit access, entrance instructions and how temporary staff learn the response. Reassess after the event rather than treating it as ordinary weekday work.
Research and audit depth: what a strong assessment shows
It describes access, not just inventory
A list of assets does not prove they can be used in time. A useful record identifies the likely incident area, nearest first aider, kit route, barriers such as locked rooms or a distant floor, communications, and how an ambulance will find the site. That makes the assessment testable through a desktop scenario or mock emergency.
It accounts for the real population
Count more than payroll headcount. Contractors, volunteers, clients, students, visitors and members of the public can affect demand. A night shift of eight people in a remote compound may have a different first-aid problem from 80 office staff during business hours. Capture the maximum population and the pattern rather than relying on an annual average.
It has a review loop
Use incidents, near misses and drills as evidence. If first aiders could not be contacted, a kit was empty, access was delayed or a new process introduces a different injury risk, name an owner and due date. The model Code specifically prompts review when work changes, a first-aid incident occurs, a new hazard is identified or arrangements are tested.
For researchers: keep the printed output with the risk register, worker consultation record, first-aid training and kit inspection records where your organisation’s policy requires it. Record the source version and jurisdiction checked. This is more defensible than a generic “compliant first aid policy” because it preserves the workplace-specific reasoning.
Common assessment failures to look for
Using a single annual headcount
Annual staffing numbers can conceal the time that matters: the busiest shift, a school-holiday event, a lone after-hours worker or a contractor-heavy shutdown. Record the maximum people present at one time and identify who is actually accessible to them. A roster can make a well-trained daytime team irrelevant to an evening incident.
Calling a kit location “access”
Access is a sequence: someone identifies the incident, can summon help, can reach equipment, knows whether it is stocked and can communicate an exact location to emergency services. A kit behind a locked reception desk or a first aider driving between sites is not prompt access for every work area. Test the route in ordinary operating conditions, not only on a map.
Copying a generic policy without a site decision
Generic policy wording can be useful after decisions are made, but it does not identify which hazard, location or shift it covers. Keep the assessment’s evidence, action owner and review trigger alongside any procedure. Where there is a specialist hazard, use current specialist guidance and obtain competent advice instead of extending this general planning tool beyond its evidence base.
Workplace first aid risk assessment FAQs
Is a workplace first aid risk assessment required in Australia?
Model WHS Regulation 42 requires a PCBU to ensure provision of first aid equipment, access to facilities for administering first aid, and an adequate number of workers trained to administer first aid or access to adequately trained people. A risk assessment is the practical way the Safe Work Australia model Code says to determine what is adequate. Check the law, approved code and regulator guidance that apply where the workplace operates.
Can this tool tell me that my workplace is compliant?
No. It creates a structured planning record, not a legal-compliance verdict. It cannot inspect the workplace, determine every hazard, confirm current local law or replace consultation with workers and specialist advice where needed.
Who should be included when assessing first aid needs?
Consider workers, contractors, subcontractors, volunteers, visitors and other people who may be at the workplace. Use the largest number present at one time and consider differences between shifts, locations and seasonal or event peaks.
When should a first aid assessment be reviewed?
Review it regularly and when the work, workforce, layout, hazards, equipment, incident history or emergency access changes. The model Code also suggests testing arrangements through a mock emergency and evaluating them after an incident requiring first aid.
Does the 1:50 first aider ratio prove adequate coverage?
No. The model Code’s ratio is a planning recommendation. It must be tested against hazard level, separate work areas, leave, shift work, travel, access time, emergency services and other people who may need help.
Do I need a separate assessment for a vehicle, remote crew or split site?
Usually assess each independently operating or inaccessible location separately. A single headcount can hide gaps when people cannot promptly reach the same kit, first aider or facility.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a first aid procedure?
An assessment identifies the workplace’s needs and gaps. A procedure communicates how people summon help, find equipment, contact emergency services, record treatment and review arrangements. Use the assessment to inform the procedure rather than copying a generic policy.
Where can I check current local requirements?
Use Safe Work Australia’s official regulator directory to identify the Commonwealth, state or territory authority responsible for the workplace. Safe Work Australia develops model guidance and is not the enforcement regulator.
Official source trail
- Safe Work Australia — First aid: national overview of duties, risk assessment factors, recommended first-aider ratios, kit access and room thresholds.
- Safe Work Australia — Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace: risk-assessment example, recommended arrangements and review guidance.
- Safe Work Australia — Model WHS laws: explains the model-law framework and jurisdiction adoption context.
- Safe Work Australia — WHS regulator directory: locate the authority responsible for current local requirements.
Educational information only. If someone needs urgent medical help, call Triple Zero (000). Follow emergency-service directions and do not delay care to complete a form.