First Aid Box at the Gate: Is HR Really Responsible for Its Maintenance and Records?

Dear Seniors,

First Aid Box at the Gate: First aid essentials materials. Maintenance and record-keeping are the responsibility of HR. My safety officer insists that it's HR's responsibility. Please guide us.

Regards,
Abhay

In my opinion, the HR department is responsible for making the necessary arrangements and ensuring that they are carried out effectively. It is up to you to decide whether to assign this task to security personnel. Any security personnel trained in first aid can be designated as in charge of this task. I believe that when the law enforcement agencies visit your factory, your team will be able to satisfy them regarding compliance with regulations.

Regards,
R N KHOLA

Safety, Health, Environment, and Welfare Management

Safety, health, environment, and welfare are not topics for protracted deliberations but should be managed with determination. For statutory and/or administrative reasons, we have different departments and designations. Ultimately, the effective management of these functions is the absolute responsibility of the occupier.

With the spirit of splitting hairs, you need not check on statutes in assigning responsibility regarding the safety or welfare of employees. Though the provision of first aid boxes comes under welfare as per statutes (F.Act 1948), the safety officer has to ensure that all emergency measures, including first aid facilities, are in place. The safety officer will have to accept this responsibility, manage the first aid boxes, inspect them frequently, and arrange for replenishing exhausted items with the help of those entrusted with each box in various departments. If not a statutory responsibility, he has to consider it as his moral responsibility.

Most statutory provisions do not meet current requirements. If a safety officer strictly acts based on statutes, he is unfit for the position. He has to look beyond and enlarge his vision. The scope of safety is unlimited.

If the safety officer is not willingly accepting the responsibility to manage first aid boxes, the occupier can decide and demand the safety officer to manage them. The safety officer has to accept the occupier's directions since the occupier is the ultimate authority regarding statutory provisions.

In fact, if he is a genuinely safety-minded safety officer, he will volunteer. I am sorry to say that a safety designate resisting such responsibilities is unfit for the post. Again, HR has no role in maintaining first aid boxes as such.

This issue only arises in India. Just think of it too!

Regards,
Kesava Pillai

Dear Abhay,

There is no harm in keeping any records related to First Aid, but it's not the HR's job; it's the admin who looks after the same. However, if in your organization HR and Admin departments are treated equally, then it becomes HR's responsibility too.

Regards,
Namrata

Please suggest to me what type of functions HR needs to perform in a factory. What type of records should be maintained? Additionally, please advise me on how to post a new query further regarding LABOUR LAW, STATUTORY ACT, PF, ESI, SALARY BREAKUP, and all related matters.

Thank you,
MANJU

Thank you very much, sir. When I told my S.O. the same thing, he agreed on that, but he emphasized that the involvement of others is very important. He also asked us to do counterchecking if he is going to maintain all that, or he will countercheck our department if we are going to maintain that. As per my S.O., the examiner and examinee will not be the same if we want to maintain an updated status, particularly in safety. Sir, my safety officer is very hardworking and a very good follow-up taker. Regards, Abhay

Hi!

I am quite satisfied with Namratha's words; it's really necessary to know who holds the responsibility of first aid. Only then does it come into fulfillment of performing such a critical task, which is essential for every organization. Keep sharing your various ideas.

Regards,
Padmini

The practice seems to differ from country to country. Some regulations specify the duties of the Safety Officer (SO), but some countries seem to leave it to the company to decide by management the arrangements for such roles. In big companies, they have a safety department independently, so the duties are clearly assigned to that department. For most companies, they may employ a safety officer under HR, making it the HR Department's responsibility. It is seldom that the SO stands alone.

First Aid Responsibility

First Aid is a welfare provision needed under most countries' regulations, so it is an HR responsibility to provide and manage. It may be delegated to site departments to manage these at the site, but the final responsibility should remain under HR.

Dear All, Good discussion has already taken place on the topic. However, I feel like sharing the system we have in our plant for managing first aid facilities. We have a health center with a medical officer and two staff nurses. As a central agency, the Safety Department once organized the First Aid Boxes and distributed them to all departments. One of the staff nurses checks all the first aid boxes and refills required medicines once a month. If any department needs medicines before the scheduled refill, they can contact the medical officer to get the required medicines refilled.

With regards,
Dipil Kumar V

Responsibilities of Trained First Aiders

Trained first aiders are responsible for maintaining first aid boxes, and it should be ensured that they are updated by St John's Ambulance. These first aiders should be available during all shifts. The responsibility of HR is to arrange for the training of first aid.

Regards,
Dr. H.V. Venkatesh

Hi Mahesh,

Kindly find the attachment enclosed herewith - the first aid skills PowerPoint presentation.

Regards,
Mahesh

Section 45: First Aid Appliances

Section 45 deals with First Aid Appliances. Please read this section. It will give you the information you are seeking.

Also, go through the Factory Rules. I am sure you will find a complete list of items you need to keep in a First Aid Box.

It is also important to have some staff trained in First Aid. St. John's Ambulance is a good agency that conducts such training.

Best Wishes,
Vasant Nair

Dear all,

In our plant, we also have a medical team that takes care of the first aid boxes and checks them every Sunday. Initially, the Safety Officer provides the first aid supplies, and then the medical team maintains them. A small diary is kept there, maintained by the area in charge or whoever uses the first aid box. If someone receives first aid from this box, it is recorded. This way, we can get an idea of the types of small incidents occurring, and necessary precautions can be taken.

For example, in our melting and casting section, the consumption of eye capsules was very high, indicating foreign particles falling into the eyes (dross is present there, which falls into the eyes of casual laborers). Therefore, we have made the use of safety goggles mandatory for that area. Now, things have improved.

Regards,
Hansa Vyas

The Responsibility of First Aid Management

Safety is everyone's responsibility. By arranging a first aid box on site, whether done by the safety officer or HR, the goal remains the same: to preserve life, prevent deterioration, and promote recovery. However, I have never seen HR taking responsibility for first aid.

The responsibility for first aid materials and records lies with a male nurse, doctor appointed by the company, or a certified first aider. They are responsible for determining the first aid requirements such as materials and medicines. Additionally, some organizations seek approval from the HSE manager before purchasing any items to ensure that the materials meet the HSE standards of the country.

The duty of the safety officer does not include placing first aid; their duty involves monitoring, providing information, and reporting. If there is an insufficient first aid box, they have the right to take action, such as stopping work, issuing warning or improvement letters, or giving oral advice to ensure its timely placement. They also have the right to inspect the first aid room and facilities at any time.

May the attached file help you.

Regards

Your statement is like "Safety is the Responsibility of the Safety Officer" as per the Factories Act, not like "Safety is everybody's Responsibility."

If your statement is true and is in practice, it is sure that there is a degradation of safety culture at the workplace.

I think in abroad and even in Indian MNCs, the First Aid Box belongs to respective departments/sections and is maintained by them, which has to be provided by HR/Admin.

It is the duty of the Safety Officer to ensure that these First Aid Boxes are full of amenities and personnel are trained enough to provide First Aid whenever required.

There are many officials who have made the Safety Officer's job according to their conveniences and views.

The Role of Safety Officers in Companies

Let us forget about Acts and Rules and think about the basic necessity of the Safety Officer/Manager in a company:

1. In the earlier era, when management was not so skilled and there was a single Occupier of the Company, and an accountant cum overall manager was managing all the affairs, employees had fewer rights, hard jobs, no injury prevention, and of course, no loss prevention, no HR policies.

2. With rapid industrial developments when injury rates were high and losses were vast, Occupiers and Human Rights Organizations started thinking about a tool that can prevent these losses/fines. Hence, Safety/Health/Loss Prevention Department originated.

3. In earlier times, it was the duty of the Occupier to ensure the safety of its employees at work and also in the present.

4. Initially, a person was designated as a Safety Officer who would take care of Hazard Identification, communication, and training of the employees.

5. When it was realized that a designated specialist could take care of employees' health, safety, and environmental status, persons were being appointed as Safety Officers.

The Safety Officer is a person who ensures the health and safety of the working employees by identifying hazards at work and communicating them to the concerned parties to correct them on behalf of the Occupier, providing training to learn, conducting audits to check.

The Safety Officer is a person who acts as a third-party auditor to conduct audits of the facility and find out non-compliance and report them to the Occupier for correction. If the Safety Officer manages the First Aid Box, then he is not an auditor; he is an auditee itself!

In short, if you make a Safety person accountable for the safety of the workplace instead of responsible for the workplace, then who is the single person in your organization having the right to identify incorrect work practices and point them?

Example Scenarios

Here are two scenarios:

First Scenario

Tom - A Safety Officer managing the First Aid Boxes of the entire plant as per the Factories Act.
Harry - A workman whose departmental First Aid Box is to be filled and maintained by Tom.

Tom, a Safety Officer, pointed out to Harry, a Workman, why he was not wearing PPEs? You can get injured!

Harry replied, "Tom, forget about my PPE; first tell me where is the Burn Spray of my department's First Aid Box." (Clash in communication command)

Tom - "I checked; it was there last time."

Harry - "If you cannot maintain a Burn Spray, how can you point me for PPEs? I will report about you to the management."
Result - NON-COMPLIANCE

Second Scenario

Tom - A Safety Officer, conducting checking of the first aid box with the department head.

Tom - Hey Harry! Why are you not wearing PPEs? You can get injured!

Harry - "Tom, there is no burn spray in the First Aid Box? First, check it."

Tom - I had a checklist and checked the same with your department head, and yes, it is to be placed in your First Aid Box. I will do a follow-up of the same. Please wear the helmet; otherwise, I have to write in the observation book and be present in the next First Aid box training.
Result - COMPLIANCE.

So, which method do you prefer, it is your wish. But always remember, compliance is required.