Locked First Aid Room

[muncy]

The Management at our office building have decided that they want to lock the first aid room and leave the key with the receptionist. The building is used 24x7 so when the receptionist is not around nobody will be able to get into the room.

Are they breaking any health and safety rules?

[WendyS]

I'm unsure whether your company are legally obliged to provide a first aid room at all but as they have one it stands to reason that access should be available whenever there are employees around in the office. Management are perhaps worried about theft of the first aid contents. (You would be surprised - some individuals will steal anything that can be removed!). However, perhaps the best solution would be to have several spare keys duplicated and held in the care of various responsible individuals whose names are listed on a general notice board.

[muncy]

Hi Wendy. Thanks for your answer. The problem with giving the key to a number of responsible individuals is that due to the 24x7 nature of the operation the only way to ensure that it there would always be someone here with a key would be to give a key to everyone!

My question is really around whether if there is a first aid room does it have to be unlocked?

[Miss Zippy]

Not necessarily. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require all employers to carry out a first aid risk assessment and to provide appropriate first aid provisions based on that risk assessment. There is no legal obligation to provide first aid facilities such as a first aid room or even qualified first aiders, though for many organisations (eg, offices employing a large number of staff or premises such as factories or warehouses where the risk of injury is higher by the nature of the job) it will probably be �appropriate� to offer these first aid facilities (if employers do not provide �appropriate� first aid facilities, the Health & Safety Executive could take action). When the first aid room is locked, do all staff have easy access to the First Aid box?

[Whickerman]

Your company should have a registered first aider available on all shifts. They should also be the keyholders.

[laurence2]

You SHOULD have access to a first-aid box 24/7, their should ALSO be access to a incident book 24/7. their should be first aideds on all shifts the number of firts aideds would depend on the number of staff.

Ps, all incidents involving an injury no matter how trivial must be writing into the incident book, this is very important especially if the incident causes lost time of work through injury etc, this book is very important in cases where companys are sued etc by the employee and for the H.S.E

[DotH]

I cannot sue the store over my 3 broken toes i have just been informed, no idea why, but i rand the solicitor that advertised on the back of the 'use of crutches' booklet I was given at the hospital and they say they cannot persue the claim on my befalf, sheesh, nearly lose 3 toes and not my fault but they say they can't persue it, ridiculous. I guess it is because they cannot establish blame as the girl who sceamed at the bolt of lightening and startled me into dropping the glass shelf on my foot is untracable.

[Whickerman]

dot - what are you on, and can we all have some?

[joko]

why not take it up with your bosses and suggest they fit a small camera, so that there can be no issue of theft.

it would actually be useful too, should any claims come about from someone giving the wrong treatment in that room - especially since someone may have to be somwhat unclothed in there.

or put the key somewhere that requires your swipe card or code to get to it - that way any one who goes in there is logged

[muncy]

Thanks for that last suggesiton joko. That is a damn good idea and I will put it forward.

It transpired this afternoon that the reason that facilities management want it locked is because it is being abused. When pushed they said that the 'abuses' are that one guy changes out of his motorcycle gear in there and that some of the muslim guys are using it as a prayer room. I'm staggered! Absolutely nobody at work objects to the room being used for this purpose yet facilities management insist on weilding what little power they possess!