Rethinking risk – first aid in the modern workplace

The future of workplace safety lies in adaptable, trained, confident people, rather than in fixed protocols, says Lisa Sharman

Our modern workplaces no longer fit neatly into four walls. Hybrid schedules, remote setups and co-working spaces are here to stay, and traditional risk management frameworks must catch up.

Mental health risks, like isolation, anxiety and stress, are rising. Physical injuries can go unreported. And often, first aid provision, both mental and physical, is ill-equipped for a workforce that might be everywhere at once.

Added to this, a lack of direct supervision by managers or assessment by health and safety professionals can result in less controlled working environments, less accessible support and slower emergency responses. And when trained first aiders work remotely, the workplace may be left exposed unless regular reviews and detailed planning ensure adequate cover.

In this new reality, workplace safety cannot remain static; it must evolve with the people it aims to protect.

Evolution of the workplace

The workplace as we knew it has fundamentally changed. Where once fixed locations were the norm, with predictable risks and clear boundaries, today’s reality is far more fluid. According to the Office of National Statistics, around 28% of employees now work from home at least some of the time, with 13% fully remote – a dramatic shift from before the pandemic.

This transformation has blurred the lines between work and home, raising complex questions about employer responsibilities and creating a new employee wellbeing dynamic.

For distributed teams, it is often unclear who the first aiders are or who is responsible for leading in a first aid emergency. Transient workspaces mean unfamiliar environments and colleagues who may not be aware of each other’s needs or capabilities – or who might have a life-threatening allergy, for example. However, it’s important to realise that organisations maintain the same legal duty of care in these remote and hybrid environments as they do in traditional setups – particularly when it comes to mental wellbeing.

The impact of this workplace evolution is borne out in the data. CIPD research from 2022 found that 44% of HR professionals report increased mental health and stress issues among remote staff. And 2025 figures from St John Ambulance^[1] show that anxiety (40%), depression (30%) and burnout (23%) are the top three wellbeing issues affecting the UK workforce. It is also widely believed that while the Health and Safety Executive reports 680,000 non-fatal injuries at work in Great Britain in 2024/25, a large number of work-related accidents among remote workers go unreported.

Limitations of traditional frameworks

If we continue to try and fit our traditional first aid models to this new working reality, we risk leaving employees vulnerable. It’s much easier to have clear chains of communication and responsibilities laid out when your staff presence and risks are more predictable. First aid kits and equipment are more likely to be easily accessible and locations known by consistent teams working in the same place.

But with a more fluid workforce, shift working and people based across multiple locations, organisations are being caught out. First aiders aren’t always where they’re expected to be; more first aiders might be needed to provide enough cover; and skills risk becoming outdated without keeping on top of refresher training.

Almost a third of employees have experienced times when no one in their workplace was first aid trained, St John Ambulance data shows. And despite 90% of people^[2] believing trained mental health first aiders will reduce staff absenteeism and 85% believing they will cut staff turnover, the reality is many workplaces are still failing to give equal priority to mental and physical health.

Giving people the confidence and skills to act

This shortfall – and the important difference first aiders can make – was thrown into focus recently. When first aider Roy Peach was on his day off, one retail store was left short of trained first aiders.

“I was on a day off but had cause to drop in briefly. I’d been in the shop no more than 10 minutes when a colleague had a seizure,” he recounts.

Roy coordinated a team to help manage the situation and keep the casualty safe, then gave the paramedics a clear handover when they arrived. “I was told by colleagues I had been so calm, and they wondered how. First aid training can’t prepare you for every scenario, but what it can do, though, is place you in a better position of support and ability to think clearer.”

These kinds of scenarios could happen anywhere, and if it were not for Roy’s confident actions, the outcome may have been quite different. “I always update my training. You never know when you can help someone. I’m glad to have refreshed mine a couple of months prior to this incident. I feel it made a huge difference to how I handled it,” he says.

First aid for today’s workplace

Legacy processes, often static and rooted in traditional work models, no longer suffice.

The future of workplace safety lies in adaptable, trained, confident people, rather than in fixed protocols. Organisations that embrace this shift will build resilience, ensure employee wellbeing and protect staff beyond the office walls.

Rethinking risk – a dynamic framework

1. Take a person-centric as well as a location-based approach to risk. Ensure that you have considered the risk for each location your employees may be working from, remembering that skills move with employees.
2. Ensure there are enough trained first aiders to cover staff movements and multiple locations.
3. Prioritise a holistic approach to first aid, which considers both mental and physical health support, and aims to look after employees’ wellbeing comprehensively.
4. Encourage a ‘first aid anywhere’ mindset, equipping people with the skills and confidence to act regardless of location through regular training, e-Learning and refreshers.
5. Establish communication protocols for distributed teams, ensuring they know where to reach out for help and that their personal risks are assessed and appropriately managed.

Lisa Sharman is National Head of Education & Commercial Training at St John Ambulance, England’s leading first aid charity.

• 1 Survey commissioned by St John Ambulance and conducted by Censuswide in February 2025 with 1,001 actively employed UK respondents.
• 2 Survey commissioned by St John Ambulance and conducted by Censuswide in February 2025 with 505 UK HR Directors.