Online first aid courses

Ireland regulates occupational first aid under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the General Application Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299/2007, Part 7 Chapter 2), enforced by the HSA: employers designate enough trained occupational first-aiders based on a risk assessment, with an indicative guide of an extra first-aider for every 300 employees above 700. Required training is First Aid Response (FAR), an 18-hour (3-day) assessed course, recertified every 2 years.

Early-years services regulated by Tusla must have a person trained in first aid for children available at all times, including on outings, and Tusla recognises the PHECC First Aid Response (FAR) course as meeting this requirement. FAR is 18 contact hours over three days with a certificate valid 2 years; a blended format (e-learning theory + in-person practical) is accepted, while a fully online-only course does not meet the PHECC standard.

Under Irish common law there is no general duty to rescue, so a mere bystander is not ordinarily liable for failing to assist. The Civil Liability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 grants genuine civil immunity to a good samaritan who provides emergency assistance without expectation of payment, except for gross negligence or bad faith.

In Ireland nurses are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), whose Code and Professional Competence Scheme require continuing professional development relevant to scope of practice, with resuscitation training counting as CPD where relevant. NMBI sets no fixed number of hours, and the requirement is met by any recognized continuing-education activity such as CPR/AED, ACLS or PALS.

Nursing homes and designated residential care settings in Ireland are regulated by HIQA, with frontline care typically provided by Healthcare Assistants holding the QQI Level 5 Healthcare Support award. Alongside that award, BLS/CPR certification (adult, paediatric, infant, AED and airway obstruction) is commonly required by nursing-home and agency employers, and a recognized, up-to-date certificate renewed periodically meets this expectation.

Foster care in Ireland is governed by the Child Care (Placement of Children in Foster Care) Regulations 1995 and the National Standards for Foster Care (2003), overseen by Tusla, with suitability assessed and approved by Tusla or the relevant fostering agency. No single statute names a standalone first-aid certificate, but Tusla and fostering agencies routinely include first-aid training to the PHECC First Aid Responder standard in carer preparation and ongoing development.

Online CPR and first aid training is recognized in Ireland for personal, childcare-licensing and employer purposes, with certification valid for 2 years. Because the occupational first-aid qualification includes a practical skills assessment, a blended format (online theory plus in-person practical) is accepted.