First Aid Requirements on Construction Sites: QLD, NSW, VIC and WA

Every builder knows a site needs “a first aider and a kit”. Fewer can say how many first aiders, what training counts, how often it has to be refreshed, or who is responsible when half the people on site work for someone else. Those are the questions an inspector — or a court — will ask after something goes wrong.

This guide starts with Queensland, then covers where New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia line up and where they don’t.

The duty: what the law actually requires

Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation (regulation 42), a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure:

first aid equipment is provided, and each worker has access to it;
workers have access to facilities for administering first aid; and
an adequate number of workers are trained to administer first aid — or workers have access to an adequate number of other people who are trained.

The regulation doesn’t set a number. The detail comes from Queensland’s First aid in the workplace Code of Practice 2021, which tells you to weigh the nature of the work, the hazards, the size and location of the site, and the number and make-up of the people on it. A code of practice isn’t optional decoration: courts may rely on it to decide what was reasonably practicable, and an inspector may refer to it in a notice. You can do things differently only if your approach gives an equivalent or higher standard of safety.

Is a construction site “high risk”?

For first aid purposes, almost always. The Code describes high risk workplaces as ones where workers are exposed to hazards that could cause serious injury requiring first aid, and gives examples including workers who use hazardous machinery such as mobile plant, and workers at risk of falls that could result in serious injury — naming construction specifically. Demolition and welding are on the same list.

How many first aiders?

The Code’s recommended ratios are:

High risk workplaces: one first aider for every 25 workers.
Remote high risk workplaces (no timely access to medical and ambulance services): one first aider for every 10 workers.
Low risk workplaces: one for every 50 — which is the number people often quote, and the wrong one for a building site.

Count the maximum number of workers on site at one time, not your average. A slab pour day with every trade on site is the day that counts. First aiders must also be available whenever people are working, including night work and overtime — a first aider who leaves at 3pm doesn’t cover the concrete finishers working until 6.

Make first aiders easy to find: the Code suggests a hi-vis vest of a particular colour, or a first aid contact number on display.

Shared sites, subcontractors and labour hire

On a construction site, several businesses usually share the same duty. The Code allows a PCBU to rely on another business’s trained first aiders, as long as the businesses consult, cooperate and coordinate: agree who provides what, share equipment and facilities, and make sure access actually works on every shift.

Labour hire adds a layer. Both the labour hire provider and the host business have a duty of care for the worker. Safe Work Australia says the host, as the business at the workplace, must make sure workers have access to first aid equipment and trained first aid officers, and the labour hire provider must check those arrangements are in place. Put simply: the principal contractor’s first aid plan has to account for every worker on site, whoever employs them.

Kits, facilities and rooms

At least one first aid kit must be provided so all workers can access one. Contents should be based on a risk assessment and cover cuts and punctures, sprains, minor burns, amputations and major bleeding, broken bones, eye injuries and shock.
Multi-level or spread-out sites: where there are separate work areas — multiple buildings or multiple floors — the Code suggests kits in each work area, and portable kits in vehicles.
A phone or emergency call system for contacting emergency services should be part of the first aid facilities.
A first aid room is recommended for high risk workplaces with 100 or more workers.
Remote high risk sites should add items such as a heavy-duty crepe bandage for snake bites, a thermal blanket, a whistle and a torch.

What training counts, and how often to refresh it

As a minimum, the Code says first aiders should hold a nationally recognised statement of attainment, issued by a registered training organisation, for the unit Provide First Aid. On training.gov.au the current unit is HLTAID011 Provide First Aid, and the CPR unit is HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

On refreshers, the Code is specific: CPR training should be carried out annually, and first aid qualifications should be renewed every three years. A common gap to check for: a first aid certificate that is still current, with a CPR component more than a year old. Remote work or specialist hazards may call for higher-level training, such as HLTAID014 Provide Advanced First Aid.

New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia

New South Wales uses its own edition of the same First aid in the workplace Code of Practice, with the same 1:25 and 1:10 ratios and the same refresher timing. One change matters: since section 26A of the NSW Work Health and Safety Act commenced on 1 July 2026, SafeWork NSW says codes of practice are the minimum performance standard a PCBU is expected to meet — you follow the code, or manage the risk in a way that is equivalent or better.

Western Australia published its First aid in the workplace Code of Practice in July 2022, under the framework of its Work Health and Safety Act 2020, with the same ratios and the same annual CPR and three-year renewal guidance.

Victoria is different, because it runs under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, not the WHS laws. WorkSafe Victoria’s Compliance code: First aid in the workplace (November 2021) offers a prescribed approach. For higher risk workplaces it is one first aid officer for up to 25 employees, two for 26 to 50, and one more for every additional 50. Employers can instead use a risk assessment approach. The training guidance matches the other states: Provide First Aid as a minimum, CPR annually, and qualifications renewed every three years.

A pre-start first aid check

What is the peak headcount this week, across every trade and every employer?
Is there one trained first aider per 25 workers on every shift that’s working — including late finishes?
Is everyone’s CPR inside 12 months, and first aid inside three years?
Is there a kit in each work area or level, and do workers know where it is?
Is the site remote enough to need the 1:10 ratio and extra kit?
Have you agreed in writing with subcontractors and labour hire providers whose first aiders cover whom?

Where DL Aus Group fits

We supply construction workers across QLD, NSW, VIC & WA, and have done since 2019. If your first aid count comes up short for a busy stretch of the program, tell us when you book: we don’t keep dedicated first aid officers on our books, but we will look for a first-aid-trained worker for your crew and tell you on the call whether we can find one. And when we place workers with you, we’ll ask how first aid is covered on site, because that’s part of our duty too. We’re fully insured and hold labour hire licences in QLD (LHL-04372-G3F0N) and VIC (VICLHL03363). More on how we work is on our safety and compliance page.

No minimum contract — book one worker for a single shift or a full crew for the length of the job. Need someone on site today? Call +61 415 540 088; same-day starts are available when you ring through your request. QLD Labour Hire Licence LHL-04372-G3F0N. Get in touch.

Official sources

This article explains publicly available regulator guidance as at October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice — check the current code of practice with the regulator in the state the work is in before you rely on it.