FIRST AID/CPR & AED TRAINING

Incidents can happen in any work environment. It’s much better for workers to be equipped with first aid training than to be helpless bystanders until professional help arrives. First aid training & CPR is helpful in a number of ways. It gives workers the ability to provide help in a wide array of emergency situations. It also ensures that workers don’t use incorrect methods to administer medical assistance, which can lead to an already bad situation getting worse.

In many circumstances, providing first aid/CPR training isn’t an option. It’s a requirement.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration lays out specific guidelines as part of standard number 1910.151: Employers need to “ensure the ready availability of medical personnel for advice and consultation on matters of plant health,” and, “in the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid.” There are slightly different standards for general industry versus construction.

While there aren’t strict standards about what must be included in a first aid kit, OSHA refers to ANSI Z308.1, which does require a list of 15 minimum supplies such as gauze pads, tweezers, and latex gloves.