From October 2025, the First Aid Quality Partnership (FAQP) has confirmed an update to First Aid training, with catastrophic bleed control – including the use of improvised tourniquets and wound-packing techniques – becoming part of all First Aid at Work (FAW) courses.
These techniques are expected to shift from ‘strongly recommended’ to widely adopted practice, meaning FAW trainers will need to ensure they have had additional accredited training to deliver the new content confidently and safely.
This marks a significant shift in first aid training, helping businesses better prepare for life-threatening bleed scenarios where every second counts.
If your organisation provides FAW training, it’s important to check that your first aid provision is evolving in line with the new expectations. That includes:
Ensuring your first aiders are trained in catastrophic bleed control
Confirming your training provider has updated their course content
Reviewing your workplace first aid needs risk-assessments to determine whether catastrophic bleed risks should now be considered
These updates align with current industry guidance and support employers in meeting their first-aid responsibilities under HSE requirements, giving first aiders the skills to act decisively when the stakes are highest.
If you need support, we offer training with an FAW-qualified instructor fully trained in catastrophic bleed control. We can also deliver standalone Catastrophic Bleed Control training as an addition for those who already hold a Level 3 Emergency First Aid or Level 3 First Aid at Work qualification.
President of IOSH 2008, Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
I am pleased that you are helping dispel some of the dafter myths that surround OH&S (a passion you and I clearly have in common) and the item clearly indicates that as with so many of our professional colleagues you are not about stopping fun on the pretext of H&S. It is only with the help of people such as yourself that we will eventually get the message across that OH&S is about bringing (as you so aptly put it) purpose and value to peoples lives
