• It is critical to plan ahead to be prepared for emergencies, including ensuring appropriate emergency response times for all locations.
• When planning a first-aid program, obtaining and evaluating information about injuries, illnesses, and fatalities at the worksite are essential first steps.
• When outside professionals cannot respond within the required response time for the expected types of injuries, OSHA requires that a person or persons within the facility shall be adequately trained to render first aid.

When planning a first-aid program, obtaining and evaluating information about injuries, illnesses, and fatalities for each worksite are essential first steps. This can include a review of past Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) log entries, near miss history, and industry trends.

Where accidents resulting in suffocation, severe bleeding, or other life threatening or permanently disabling injury or illness can be expected, or where there are corrosive materials, a three to four minute response time, from time of injury to time of administering first aid, is required.

The employer should estimate emergency response times for all locations and for shifts (day and night) that workers will be present. OSHA has consistently taken the view that the reasonable availability of a trained emergency service provider, such as fire department paramedics or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders, is equivalent to the “infirmary, clinic, or hospital” specified by the literal wording of the standards. EMS can be provided either on-site or by evacuating the employee to an off-site facility in cases where transport can be done safely.

An employer who contemplates relying on assistance from outside emergency responders as an alternative to providing a first aid-trained employee must take appropriate steps prior to any accident—such as making arrangements with the service provider—to ascertain that emergency medical assistance will be promptly available when an injury occurs.

When outside professionals cannot respond within the required response time for the expected types of injuries, a person or persons within the facility shall be adequately trained to render first aid. OSHA recognizes that a somewhat longer response time of up to 15 minutes may be reasonable in workplaces, such as offices, where the possibility of such serious work-related injuries is more remote.

The person who has been trained to render first aid must be able to quickly access the first-aid supplies in order to effectively provide injured or ill employees with first-aid attention.

If employees work in areas where public emergency transportation is not available, the employer must make provision for acceptable emergency transportation.