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Proposals to remove the requirement for first-aid trainers to be approved by the HSE have gone out for consultation.

Professor Ragnar Löfstedt originally recommended that such an amendment be made to the Health and Safety (Fist-Aid) Regulations (1981), in his independent review of the UK health and safety system.

The proposed change will not affect the requirement for employers to ensure they have an adequate number of trained first-aiders, and the HSE will continue to set the standards for existing training.

The consultation  runs for six weeks and the HSE and its Board will make a recommendation to ministers on how to proceed after reviewing the responses. Views are also being sought on whether the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) to the Regulations provides practical advice on how to comply with them.

The Executive is also proposing to make revisions to its first-aid guidance, which helps employers ensure they adopt proportionate first-aid arrangements in their workplace.

The earliest amended regulations could come into force is April 2013, and they would be preceded by new guidance published at the start of the year. HSE consultation manager Andy McGrory said: “We believe this amendment will give businesses greater flexibility in choosing training and providers that are suitable for their workplace.

“HSE will continue to set the standards for existing training – the one-day Emergency First-Aid at Work (EFAW) and three-day First-Aid at Work (FAW) courses will continue to be the building blocks in all cases where a first-aid needs assessment shows that training is necessary.”

For more information on the consultation and how to participate click here.