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Employers in the Selby area of North Yorkshire have been warned that they could face prosecution for not having proper first aid cover should a serious injury or even a fatality occur in their workplaces.

Most organisations are obliged by law to have enough first aiders, who have been on the necessary first aid training courses and who have the relevant qualifications, to cover the whole business. This often means having a few first aiders to cover illness, annual leave or other absences.

However, the first aid charity St John Ambulance has completed some research recently which shows that as many as 79 per cent of businesses in the North Yorkshire and Teesside areas are not meeting their first aid obligations. These businesses were found to have periods when there was no qualified first aider on the premises, which could lead to prosecution should an employee become injured or even lose their life after an accident.

Mike Nye, who is the marketing manager for the North East branch of the charity, said:

“Employers have a legal responsibility to provide first aid training but more importantly we’re talking about giving staff vital skills which could mean they’re the difference between a life lost and a life saved when faced with an emergency in the workplace.”