The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) is the statutory regulator responsible for developing education and training standards for a suite of responder level courses such as Cardiac First Response (CFR) and First Aid Response (FAR). 

Recognised Institutions and Approved Training Institutions (RIs and ATIs) are authorised, by PHECC to deliver, examine and issue joint PHECC/institution course completion certificates to successful students.

The Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) First Aid Response (FAR) training standard meets the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) requirement for occupational first aid training for the workplace. The Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) guidance also recognises FAR as the standard for child care. 

There are specific requirements on Occupational First Aid (First Aid Responder) made under Chapter 2 of Part 7 of the General Application Regulations 2007

The PHECC FAR training course is not less than 18 contact hours including assessment but excluding breaks, averaging 6 hours instruction per day (3 Days)

For the PHECC FAR award, the recertification course is currently not less than 12 hours including assessment but excluding breaks, averaging 6 hours instruction per day.

Recognised Institutions (RIs) and Approved Training Institutions (ATIs) are authorised by PHECC to deliver, examine and issue joint PHECC/institution course completion certificates to successful students.

From the start of 2023 the following arrangement shall apply: The Institution may allow a short grace period if a person's responder certificate has lapsed, and they are seeking recertification. This grace period should be restricted to extenuating circumstances and be considered on a case-by-case basis. This decision rests with the institution's course director.

PHECC considers a maximum of 30 days to be an appropriate grace period.

To summarise, where training for a First Aid Responder lapses, PHECC FAR recertification is normally required if the lapse is less than 30 days, otherwise the full 3 day training is required. See here for further information.

PHECC FAR instructor/learner ratio is 1:8. This is to ensure learners have sufficient time to develop first aid skills. The instructor is required to have a mannequin and training AED for every 2 learners.

Learners receive a PHECC First Aid Response (FAR) certificate or recertification.

A cardiac first responder (community level) is a person trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) who can respond to someone who has suddenly collapsed. A cardiac first responder plays a vital role in keeping a person alive until they can receive expert clinical care. A cardiac first responder may be part of the emergency medical services, a healthcare practitioner or a member of the public who has completed the PHECC approved course within the last two years. 

Responders at Advanced level are most likely to have a duty to respond. The advanced course builds on the basic life support skills at CFR Community level and includes using an oropharyngeal airway (OPA), a supraglottic airway (SGA), and a bag-valve-mask (BVM), checking the patient's pulse, giving oxygen, suction and post resuscitation care. If you are concerned about maintaining all the required CFR Advanced level skills, we recommend that you consider whether CFR Community level would be more appropriate for you.

There is no minimum age requirement set out in the current Education & Training Standards, however an individual should be mature enough to comprehend the knowledge, skills and implications associated with defibrillation and have a maturity to complete assessment to receive certification. Currently PHECC recognised institutions use 16 years of age as a benchmark.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 details how safety, health and welfare should be managed and it clarifies the responsibilities of employers, the self-employed, employees and various other parties in relation to safety, health and welfare at work. 

The Act also details the role and functions of the Health and Safety Authority, provides for a range of enforcement measures and specifies penalties that may be applied for breaches of occupational safety, health and welfare rules. As the Act is an enabling Act, new regulations can be added from time to time. The 2005 Act is available on www.hsa.ie under 'Legislation' 

These regulations replace, simplify and update many older regulations that apply to all places of work. The term "general application" means the various parts and sections apply to all employments including schools. The regulations set out requirements concerning manual handling of loads, electricity, noise, vibration, first-aid, etc.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, (General Applications) Regulations 2007, Chapter 4 of Part 2, outline the requirements that must be adhered to in relation to manual handling.

Accidents and Dangerous occurrences should be reported using the online reporting system on the Health and Safety Authority's website www.hsa.ie. 

For hard copies of the Accident Report Form contact the Authority's Workplace Contact Unit, Lo-call 1890 289 389 or email wcu@hsa.ie