Access a quick summary of what an appointed person is with AI.
What is an appointed person?
The meaning of appointed person depends on the context. In general workplace safety, it’s someone an employer names to take charge of first aid arrangements, under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. They look after first aid equipment and facilities and call the emergency services when needed. In lifting operations, the appointed person is the competent person who plans and controls the lift, under LOLER and BS 7121.
Because the same title is used for two very different jobs, it’s easy to mix them up. This guide covers both roles, how they differ from a first aider, and how to decide what your workplace needs.
Appointed persons in first aid: the legal role
In first aid, an appointed person is the employee responsible for your first aid arrangements when you don’t need a trained first aider. HSE guidance (L74) describes the minimum as appointing “a person to take charge of the first-aid arrangements, including looking after the equipment and facilities, and calling the emergency services when required.”
The role exists because every employer has a legal duty to provide “adequate and appropriate” first aid equipment, facilities and people. In a low-risk workplace with a small team, a first aid needs assessment may show that an appointed person and a stocked first aid kit are enough.
An appointed person is not the same as a first aider. They organise first aid; they aren’t trained to give it.
What does an appointed person do?
An appointed person takes charge when someone is injured or falls ill, keeps first aid equipment stocked and ready, and calls the emergency services when needed. They should be available whenever people are at work.
In practice, the role usually covers:
- Taking charge in an emergency: staying calm, making the area safe, and ensuring help is on its way
- Calling the emergency services: giving clear information about the casualty and the location
- Maintaining first aid kits and facilities: checking contents, replacing used or out-of-date items, and keeping kits easy to find
- Keeping records: the HSE recommends giving appointed persons a way to record the incidents they attend, including the date, time, place, injury, treatment, and what happened next
- Keeping notices current: making sure everyone knows who the appointed person is and where the first aid kit is
Those records are more than paperwork. They feed your accident log, any RIDDOR reports, and the trend data you use to stop the same injury happening again.
Appointed person vs first aider: what’s the difference?
The main difference is training and hands-on treatment. A first aider holds a valid first aid qualification and gives first aid. An appointed person has no required qualification and manages the arrangements instead of treating casualties.
| Appointed person | First aider |
| Main role | Takes charge of first aid arrangements | Gives first aid to injured or ill people |
| Training required? | No, although EFAW is recommended | Yes. EFAW or FAW, kept up to date |
| Gives first aid? | Not expected to | Yes, within their training |
| Looks after kits and facilities | Yes | Often, but not required by law |
| Calls emergency services | Yes | Yes |
| When it's enough on its own | Low-risk, small workplaces, as shown by a needs assessment | Most workplaces with more people or higher risks |
What are EFAW and FAW?
These are the two standard UK workplace first aid qualifications. Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is a one-day course (about 6 hours) covering life-saving basics such as CPR, choking, bleeding, and shock. First Aid at Work (FAW) is a three-day course (about 18 hours) that covers everything in EFAW plus a wider range of injuries and illnesses. Both certificates last three years.
One person can do both. A trained first aider can also be your appointed person, and HSE says appointed persons aren’t needed where you already have enough first aiders.
Do you need an appointed person or a first aider?
Your first aid needs assessment decides. It weighs your hazards, headcount, accident history, shift patterns, remote or lone working, and how far you are from emergency services. An appointed person is the legal minimum in low-risk, small workplaces. Higher risk or more people usually means trained first aiders.
HSE’s suggested starting points (in L74, these are guidance, not fixed rules):
| Risk level | Number of employees | Suggested minimum |
| Low hazard (e.g. offices, shops) | Fewer than 25 | At least one appointed person |
| Low hazard | 25-50 | At least one first aider trained in EFAW |
| Low hazard | More than 50 | At least one FAW-trained first aider for every 100 people |
| Higher hazard (e.g. construction, manufacturing, warehousing) | Fewer than 5 | At least one appointed person |
| Higher hazard | 5-50 | At least one first aider trained in EFAW or FAW, depending on the injuries that could happen |
| Higher hazard | More than 50 | At least one FAW-trained first aider for every 50 people |
Remember to plan for holidays, sickness, and every shift. If one person covers all your hours, your provision has a gap.
Can an appointed person give first aid?
An appointed person isn’t expected to give first aid unless they’re trained. Under the regulations, an appointed person can stand in for an absent first aider only in “temporary and exceptional circumstances”, such as unexpected illness. HSE says planned absences like annual leave don’t count.
In a real emergency, anyone can help within what they feel able to do, for example by calling 999 and following the call handler’s instructions. If your appointed person is regularly the one dealing with injuries, take that as a sign your needs assessment should be reviewed.
Does an appointed person need training?
No formal training is legally required. HSE says appointed persons “do not need first-aid training, though they may benefit from completion of an EFAW course.” Most employers give them at least a short appointed person or emergency first aid course, so they feel confident taking charge.
A good course covers:
- How to assess a situation and keep themselves and others safe
- When and how to call the emergency services
- Basic life support, including CPR and using a defibrillator
- Keeping first aid kits stocked and keeping records
What is an appointed person in lifting operations?
In lifting operations, the appointed person is the competent person who plans the lift and has overall control of it. LOLER 1998 (regulation 8) requires every lifting operation to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. BS 7121 calls that planner the appointed person.
Their responsibilities include:
- Assessing the lift and producing a lift plan in proportion to its complexity
- Confirming the load’s weight and centre of gravity
- Selecting suitable cranes and lifting accessories
- Assessing site conditions, ground bearing, and proximity hazards
- Defining the safe system of work, including the risk assessment and method statement
- Making sure competent people are in place, including the crane supervisor, operator, and slinger/signaller
The appointed person can hand tasks to others but stays responsible for the whole operation. The crane supervisor directs the lift on the day and can stop it if it becomes unsafe.
No single qualification is required by law, but employers must be able to show competence. In the UK, that usually means a CPCS A61 or NPORS N401 appointed person card, backed by solid crane experience.
Other uses of “appointed person” in health and safety
“Appointed person” is sometimes used loosely for other safety roles. Using the right name helps you show who is accountable for what.
| Role | Legislation | What they do |
| Appointed person (first aid) | Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 | Take charge of first aid arrangements |
| Appointed person (lifting) | LOLER 1998, BS 7121 | Plan and control lifting operations |
| Competent person (health and safety assistance) | Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 7 | Help the employer meet their health and safety duties |
| Responsible person (fire) | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Hold overall duty for fire safety in the premises |
Read more in our guide to the competent person.
How do appointed persons support proactive safety?
Appointed persons sit where incidents first get recorded, so they’re one of your best sources of safety data. Every first aid callout, every kit restock, and every near miss they hear about tells you where harm is likely to happen next.
To turn that into fewer injuries:
- Capture every callout digitally: date, location, injury type, and cause, not just a line in a book
- Record near misses as well as injuries: they’re your leading indicators
- Inspect first aid kits on a schedule: make kit checks part of your routine inspections
- Review trends monthly: repeated cuts in one area point to a control that isn’t working
- Assign and track actions: a finding without an owner and a deadline rarely gets fixed
- Revisit your needs assessment: after significant changes, and at least once a year
How does Notify help appointed persons in their role?
Notify gives appointed persons, first aiders, and safety teams one place to report, record, and act on what happens at work.
Notify customers have reduced RIDDORs and lost time accidents by as much as 40%.
Interested in learning how? Book a demo or try Notify for free.
FAQs
This depends on the context. In terms of general workplace safety, an appointed person is typically someone an employer names to take charge of first aid arrangements. They look after first aid equipment and facilities and call the emergency services when needed. In lifting operations, the appointed person is the competent person who plans and controls the lift.
Every employer must make adequate first aid provision. Where a needs assessment shows a first aider isn’t needed, the minimum is an appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements. For lifting, LOLER requires every lift to be planned by a competent person.
A first aider is trained and qualified to give first aid. An appointed person doesn’t need first aid training. They manage first aid arrangements, look after equipment and call the emergency services, but aren’t expected to treat casualties.
You need enough to cover all the hours people are at work, including shifts, holidays, and sickness. Your first aid needs assessment decides the number. Many low-risk workplaces with fewer than 25 employees name one appointed person plus a deputy.
Only in temporary and exceptional circumstances, such as a first aider’s unexpected illness. HSE says planned absences like annual leave don’t count, so plan cover for those.
No first aid qualification is required by law, though HSE says an Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course helps. Appointed persons for lifting operations usually hold a CPCS A61 or NPORS N401 card to show competence.