Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (RQF)

Qualification overview


This qualification forms part of the First Aid suite of qualifications. The qualification and learning outcomes are based on the recommendations of:

• The Resuscitation Council (UK)

• A distinguished panel of experts in emergency medical care


This qualification is:

• For people who deal with first aid at work enabling them to be workplace first aiders under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981

• Based on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) training standard for delivery of First Aid at Work (FAW) courses for the purposes of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981

This qualification should enable Learners to attain the knowledge and practical competencies needed to deal with a range of first aid situations.

Learners should be able to demonstrate the practical administration of safe, prompt, effective first aid in emergency situations with an understanding of the role of first aider.


This qualification specification provides information for Centres about the delivery of the Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (RQF) and includes the unit information, assessment methods and quality assurance arrangements.


Objective


The objective of the qualification is to benefit Learners by preparing them to deal with a range of first aid situations and/or take on the role of first aider in the workplace.


Intended audience


This qualification is for people who have a specific responsibility at work, or in voluntary and community activities, to provide help to people in a range of first aid situations.


Structure


This qualification contains 2 mandatory units with a Total Qualification Time (TQT) of 22 hours. Learners must complete all assessments in the unit successfully within the registration period to achieve the qualification. The maximum period to achieve this qualification, including any referrals is 10 weeks.

First Aid at Work (RQF) Qualification Specification


TQT is the total number of hours required for a Learner to achieve this qualification. It has 2 elements:

  • Guided Learning Hours (GLH) 18 hours (3 Days)

  • The number of hours a Learner will reasonably be likely to spend in preparation and study, including assessment, as directed by, but not under the immediate guidance or supervision of a Trainer, e.g. home study, which for this qualification is 4 hours

Related units
The Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (RQF) contains 1 unit that also appears as Unit 1 (Emergency First Aid in the Workplace) of the QA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF).
Therefore, assessments attained through the Emergency First Aid in the Workplace unit may be used towards the achievement of the QA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) qualification should the Learner not achieve Unit 2 (Recognition and Management of Illness and Injury in the Workplace) of this qualification.

Entry requirements
Learners must be at least 14 years old on the first day of the training and be able to perform practical tasks at floor level. There are no other formal entry requirements but we strongly recommend that Learners have a minimum of Level 1 in literacy and numeracy or equivalent.


Other course requirements
Due to the practical nature of this course, Learners should wear appropriate clothing and footwear, e.g. trousers and flat footwear.


Progression
The Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (RQF) may be used towards other qualifications at the same and higher level, plus aid career progression in a relevant profession.


Re-qualification requirements
This qualification is valid for a period of 3 years. The Learner needs to retake the qualification before the certificate expiry date to remain qualified. It is possible to reduce GLH when re-qualifying and attend a 12-hour FAW re-qualifying course if Learners produce their current or previous, recently expired, FAW certificate. The certificate should be in a format as accepted by the HSE. Re-qualification training should be delivered in no less than 12 hours (2 days) excluding breaks.

First Aid at Work (RQF) Qualification Specification


Expired FAW certificates


If the Learner’s previous FAW certificate has expired by more than 1 month at the start of FAW re-qualification course, the Centre must, in advance, provide the Learner/their employer with the following information:

FAW re-qualification courses are only 12 hours in duration, compared to 18 hours for the initial course. This means that the syllabus is covered at a significantly faster pace in the understanding that learners are familiar with the topics.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance is clear that if an employee’s FAW certificate expires, they are “no longer considered competent to act as a first-aider in the workplace”. For this reason, you should make every effort to re-qualify a first aider before the certificate expires.

Employers and Learners should be aware that there is an increased risk of failing to achieve the required standard if previous certification has expired by a considerable period (HSE defines this as in excess of 1 month). If this is the case, HSE recommends “it may be prudent to complete a 3-day course”.