First Aiders?

[floormarkings]

Is it compulsory that all workplaces have a first aider present on a given shift?

Many thanks

[Simplified Safety]

hmm good question, ive had a look at our UK leglislation and found this

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg214.pdf

Q2: What do I need to do?
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require you to provide adequate
and appropriate first-aid equipment, facilities and people so your employees can be
given immediate help if they are injured or taken ill at work.
What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in your
workplace and you should assess what your first-aid needs are (see Q3).
The minimum first-aid provision on any work site is:
■■ a suitably stocked first-aid box (see Q4);
■■ an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements (see Q5);
■■ information for employees about first-aid arrangements (see Q8).
It is important to remember that accidents and illness can happen at any
time. First-aid provision needs to be available at all times people are at work.

Q7: How many appointed persons or first-aiders do I need?
There are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers. It will depend on the
circumstances of your workplace. After working through the checklist in Table 1,
refer to Table 2 which provides a general guide on how many appointed persons or
first-aiders you might need. The numbers given in Table 2 are suggestions only.
You should assess your first-aid needs in the light of your particular circumstances.
Where there are special circumstances, such as shift work or sites with several
buildings, there may need to be more first-aid personnel than set out in Table 2.
You will need increased provision to cover for absences.

unfortunately the best i can find is you "need adequate cover" which would suggest you need to ensure there is first aid cover at any time

[blazing_air]

Allof the above is correct and since October last year there has been to a change to the Health & Safety First Aid Regulations 1981.
Feel free to have look on my site, there is a link on the home page, which will take you to a First Aid Assessment Chart to allow you to decide what you need in the workplace.
The chart is current with HSE Guidelines