First Aid for FIFO and Remote Workers in Australia

FIFO and remote workers on an Australian mine site

FIFO and remote workers can face a very different first aid situation from someone working close to a hospital or ambulance station. A worker may be hours from professional medical assistance, travelling between isolated locations, working alone or relying on radio and satellite communication rather than normal phone coverage. For these workplaces, good first aid planning is not simply about having a kit nearby. It is about making sure workers can access equipment, trained help and emergency assistance when something goes wrong.

What Counts as Remote or Isolated Work?

Safe Work Australia describes remote or isolated work as work where a person may be isolated from the assistance of others because of the location, time or nature of the work.

That can include situations involving:

Long travel times
Difficult access to the workplace
Limited or unreliable communications
Working alone
Being a long distance from emergency services
Limited access to supplies or other workplace resources

FIFO work can fall within this broader remote-work environment, particularly where workers are based at isolated mining operations, exploration camps or field locations.

The key question is not simply whether the worker is FIFO. It is how quickly they can access first aid, trained assistance and professional emergency help if an incident occurs.

Why First Aid Planning Is Different for FIFO and Remote Workers

At a metropolitan workplace, an ambulance may be able to reach an injured worker relatively quickly.

At a remote mine, exploration area or field location, professional medical assistance may take considerably longer.

This means the workplace may need to place greater emphasis on:

Accessible first aid equipment
Trained first aiders
Reliable emergency communication
Clear escalation procedures
Transport or evacuation arrangements
Planning for workers operating away from the main site

Safe Work Australia specifically notes that remote and isolated work can make emergencies more serious because there may be nobody nearby to give first aid or call for help.

FIFO Workers Must Still Be Able to Access First Aid

Australian workplaces must provide access to first aid equipment, facilities and trained first aid people.

Those arrangements need to work for the way people actually perform their jobs.

For FIFO and remote workers, that may mean considering first aid access in:

Main mine-site work areas
Workshops
Processing facilities
Underground areas
Light vehicles
Service trucks
Exploration vehicles
Remote field locations
Temporary work areas

A well-stocked kit in the main office provides little practical benefit to a worker operating a significant distance away.

For larger operations, see our guide on how to set up first aid kits across a mining site.

Remote Workers May Need First Aid Kits in Their Vehicles

Vehicles are particularly important when workers travel between locations as part of their job.

Safe Work Australia's first aid guidance says first aid kits should be inside work vehicles where workers travel for their job.

For a remote worker, a vehicle may effectively become part of the workplace.

This can apply to:

Exploration crews
Field service technicians
Maintenance workers
Survey crews
Environmental teams
Infrastructure inspection crews
Workers travelling between mine-site areas

The kit should be stored somewhere it can be accessed quickly while also being securely restrained so it does not become a hazard during vehicle movement.

Read our First Aid Kits for Mining Vehicles and Heavy Equipment guide for more detail.

Don't Rely on One Central First Aid Kit

One of the biggest issues with remote work is distance.

Workers can be technically part of the same workplace while operating a long way from each other.

Where crews are dispersed, the site's risk assessment should consider whether additional portable first aid kits are needed so workers can access equipment without travelling an unreasonable distance.

This may mean providing kits across:

Vehicles
Remote work crews
Field camps
Underground work areas
Maintenance locations
Other isolated parts of the operation

The right number and location of kits depends on the hazards, workforce and geography of the workplace rather than a single universal formula.

How Many First Aiders Do Remote Workers Need?

Safe Work Australia recommends one first aider for every:

50 workers in low-risk workplaces
25 workers in high-risk workplaces
10 workers in remote high-risk workplaces

A mine is specifically given as an example of a remote high-risk workplace.

These figures are recommended benchmarks under the model guidance rather than a universal legal formula applying identically to every Australian workplace.

For FIFO operations, the practical issue is also where those first aiders are located.

A site may have plenty of trained first aiders overall, but that does not necessarily help a worker who is operating remotely from the main crew.

For a detailed explanation, see our guide to how many first aiders a mining site may need.

Working Alone Changes the First Aid Problem

Remote work becomes particularly important when someone is working alone.

If a worker is injured and nobody else is present, there may be nobody available to:

Provide first aid
Call for emergency assistance
Raise an alarm
Help move away from a hazard
Give responders an accurate location

This means emergency communication becomes a central part of first aid planning.

A first aid kit is useful, but it cannot call for help.

Remote Workers Need a Reliable Way to Call for Help

Safe Work Australia says employers must ensure remote and isolated workers have ways to access emergency assistance and that an emergency plan is prepared.

The communication method needs to suit the actual location.

Depending on the workplace, this might involve:

Two-way radio
Satellite communication
Duress alarms
Personal alert devices
Vehicle communication systems
Check-in procedures
Other site-specific emergency systems

The appropriate system will depend on factors such as phone coverage, distance, terrain, work being performed and how quickly assistance can reach the worker.

If the emergency plan depends on a mobile phone, confirm that the worker actually has reception where the work is taking place.

Know How Emergency Assistance Will Reach the Worker

Calling for help is only the first step.

The workplace should also consider how responders will physically reach an injured person.

For example:

Can an ambulance access the work area?
Is the location several hours from the nearest town?
Would an on-site emergency response team attend first?
Can the worker's vehicle be reached easily?
Is specialist rescue equipment needed?
How will an injured worker be transferred to professional medical care?

These questions become increasingly important as workplaces become more isolated.

Consider How Workers Will Communicate Their Location

Remote workers can move across large areas during a shift.

In an emergency, responders need to know where the worker actually is.

Depending on the operation, useful systems can include:

Vehicle identification numbers
Known work-area names
Radio call signs
GPS or location systems
Journey management systems
Scheduled check-ins

Whatever system is used should be understood by both workers and the people coordinating an emergency response.

First Aid Training May Need to Reflect Remote Work

Safe Work Australia says first aiders should hold a nationally recognised statement of attainment from a registered training organisation and attend training regularly to keep their knowledge current.

It also notes that additional first aid training may be needed where work is remote or isolated.

The appropriate training should reflect:

The hazards workers may encounter
Distance from professional medical care
Emergency response arrangements
Specialist equipment provided
Specific hazardous substances present

This does not mean every FIFO worker automatically needs an advanced first aid qualification.

The workplace should determine appropriate training through its risk assessment and applicable jurisdictional requirements.

What Should Be in a FIFO or Remote Worker First Aid Kit?

There is no single first aid kit contents list that automatically applies to every FIFO or remote worker.

The contents should reflect the hazards associated with the work and the delay that may occur before professional treatment is available.

A general workplace kit may contain items such as:

Wound dressings
Bandages
Non-adherent dressings
Gauze
Disposable gloves
Eye pads
Saline
Burn treatment supplies
CPR equipment
Scissors and tweezers

Safe Work Australia's model guidance also identifies additional equipment for remote high-risk workplaces, including items for snake bite, burns, shock, visibility and illumination.

Additional supplies should ultimately be based on the hazards identified for the particular job and location.

Remote Work Can Change Which Hazards Matter

The hazards faced by a FIFO worker will depend heavily on their role.

For example, remote work may involve exposure to:

Mobile plant
Electrical equipment
Hot work
Sharp tools
Dust and airborne contaminants
Extreme temperatures
Snakes and other wildlife
Chemicals or hazardous substances
Long-distance driving

The first aid arrangements should reflect those actual risks rather than relying on a generic description such as "FIFO kit".

Protect First Aid Supplies From Harsh Conditions

A remote kit may spend much of its life in a vehicle, workshop, field area or other harsh environment.

Safe Work Australia's model first aid guidance says first aid kit containers should protect their contents from dust, moisture and contamination.

Regularly check remote kits for:

Dust contamination
Moisture
Water damage
Heat deterioration
Damaged sterile packaging
Expired supplies
Missing items

Read our guide on how to protect a first aid kit from dust, water and heat for more practical storage advice.

Check Remote Kits After They Are Used

Remote first aid equipment is particularly important because replacement supplies may not be immediately available.

Safe Work Australia's model Code recommends replacing used first aid items as soon as practicable and checking kits after use.

If a worker takes supplies from a vehicle kit, for example, the business should have a clear process for making sure those items are replaced before the vehicle returns to remote work.

For a practical process, see our first aid kit restocking guide.

Night Shift and After-Hours Work Need the Same Consideration

First aid arrangements need to work when the workplace is operating, not only during normal daytime hours.

This can be particularly relevant to FIFO operations running 24-hour rosters.

Check that night-shift workers still have access to:

First aid equipment
Trained first aiders
Emergency communications
Site emergency response arrangements

It is not enough for those resources to exist only when the largest day-shift workforce is present.

FIFO Doesn't Always Mean the Worker Is Remote While Working

It is also worth separating the roster arrangement from the workplace risk.

FIFO describes how a worker travels to and from a workplace. It does not automatically mean that every FIFO worker performs isolated work during their shift.

Someone working in a large processing facility surrounded by hundreds of other workers may have very different first aid access from an exploration worker travelling alone in a vehicle.

That is why the first aid assessment should focus on the way the job is actually performed rather than the FIFO label alone.

FIFO and Remote Worker First Aid Checklist

Questions to Ask

How far is the worker from professional medical assistance?
Can the worker access a first aid kit quickly?
Does the worker travel in a work vehicle?
Does the vehicle need its own first aid equipment?
Is the worker operating alone?
Is a trained first aider reasonably accessible?
How will the worker raise the alarm?
Does the communication system work in the actual work location?
How will emergency responders find the worker?
How will the worker be evacuated if necessary?
Does first aid training reflect the site's risks and remoteness?
Are additional supplies required for site-specific hazards?
Are vehicle and portable kits protected from dust, moisture and heat?
Are used or expired items being replaced promptly?
Do the same arrangements work on night shift and after hours?

First Aid for FIFO and Remote Workers: The Bottom Line

Good first aid planning for FIFO and remote workers is about more than putting a first aid kit in the workplace.

Employers need to consider where workers actually operate, how quickly they can access equipment, whether trained assistance is available, how they will communicate in an emergency and how professional medical help will reach them.

The more isolated the work becomes, the more important those arrangements become.

For remote mine operations specifically, you can also read our First Aid for Remote Mining Sites in Australia guide.

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This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for workplace-specific WHS, mining safety, training, medical or legal advice. Requirements vary according to workplace risks and the legislation applying in each Australian state or territory. Safe Work Australia is not a regulator, and model Codes of Practice only have legal effect where approved in a jurisdiction. Businesses should check the requirements of their relevant WHS or mining safety regulator and conduct a workplace-specific risk assessment.