Manchester employers carry the same first aid duty as any other UK workplace: the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require every employer to provide equipment, facilities and trained people that are adequate and appropriate for the risks in their workplace. What that looks like in practice depends on a first-aid needs assessment — not on a single course. This page sets out the courses that meet that duty in Greater Manchester, where they run, and what the certificates actually cover.
First aid courses we run in Manchester
The four courses below cover the vast majority of workplace requirements in the city. All four are HSE-aligned and lead to a digital first aid certificate emailed to you fast after the course.
- First Aid at Work (3-day FAW) — the standard 18-hour course for designated workplace first-aiders in higher-risk settings (construction, manufacturing, warehousing, engineering). Covers primary survey, CPR and AED, unconscious casualty management, choking, bleed control, shock, burns, fractures, head and spinal injury, and common medical emergencies.
- Emergency First Aid at Work (1-day EFAW) — the 6-hour course for lower-risk workplaces (offices, retail, professional services). Focused on life-threatening emergencies: CPR and AED, choking, bleeding, shock and unconscious casualty.
- Paediatric First Aid (2-day, 12 hours) — meets the EYFS framework requirement for staff working with under-fives in nurseries, pre-schools and childminding settings. Covers infant and child CPR, choking, seizures, anaphylaxis, meningitis recognition and accident management.
- Basic Life Support, CPR and AED — a half-day session for healthcare, care, dental and clinical teams who need a current BLS certificate alongside annual refresher training.
Where the courses run in Manchester
Open public courses run from training rooms in central Manchester, within walking distance of Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations. Rooms are step-free, have fast Wi-Fi, and give each learner room to practise CPR, the recovery position and AED drills on their own manikin rather than queueing for one.
On-site (in-house) delivery is available across Greater Manchester with no travel surcharge, including Salford Quays and MediaCityUK, Trafford Park, the Oxford Road Corridor (universities, NHS estate, science parks), Spinningfields, Ancoats and the Northern Quarter, Manchester Airport and surrounding logistics estates, plus Stockport, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside and Wigan.
What the law actually requires in a Manchester workplace
The 1981 Regulations don't set a fixed number of first-aiders. Instead, employers must complete a first-aid needs assessment that considers the type of work, the hazards involved, the number of employees, shift patterns, lone workers, the size and layout of the site, and how far the nearest emergency services are. HSE guidance (L74) then suggests indicative numbers: lower-risk workplaces typically need EFAW-trained first-aiders, while higher-risk workplaces (construction, manufacturing, heavy engineering, food production) need FAW-trained first-aiders, with more cover for larger headcounts and multi-shift operations.
For Manchester employers this usually maps as follows. Offices and professional services in Spinningfields or the city centre normally cover their statutory duty with EFAW. Construction, civils, manufacturing and warehousing teams across Trafford Park, the airport corridor and the regeneration sites use FAW. Schools and academies use a mix of EFAW (secondary, sixth-form, MAT central teams) and Paediatric First Aid (primary, early years, after-school provision). Nurseries and EYFS settings must meet the Ofsted Paediatric First Aid requirement. Healthcare, care homes and clinical teams add BLS on top to meet CQC and professional-body expectations.
Certificates, validity and requalification
FAW, EFAW and Paediatric First Aid certificates are valid for three years from the date of issue. HSE strongly recommends an annual refresher (typically a half-day) to keep skills current between requalifications. You'll get a digital first aid certificate emailed to you fast after the course — there is no paper certificate handed out at the end of the day. We'll send an automatic reminder around three months before expiry so you can book a requalification course before the certificate lapses; for FAW the requalification is a 2-day course, EFAW and Paediatric requalification is the full course again.
How to book a Manchester course
Public open courses are bookable directly from the date list higher up this page. Booking is instant — you'll get a confirmation email straight away with venue address, the nearest stations, parking notes and joining instructions.
For on-site group training, send a quote request with your sector, headcount, preferred dates and postcode. We typically reply within an hour during office hours with a fixed quote. Once you accept we send written confirmation and an invoice.
We suggest learners bring a packed lunch or some money to purchase locally. Refreshments cannot be guaranteed on all sites.