• OSHA accepts any first-aid training program that covers the fundamental requirements.
• First-aid training programs should adequately cover the types of illnesses and injuries that are likely to occur in the workplace.
• Trainees should be tested upon completion and retraining should occur annually.

The first-aid training program should be kept updated with current first-aid techniques and knowledge. Outdated training and reference materials should be replaced or removed.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes any nationally accepted and medically sound first-aid training program that covers the fundamentals of first aid as meeting the requirements stated in 29 CFR 1910.151.

Each employer using any first aid and/or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) courses must ensure that the course adequately covers the types of injuries/illnesses likely to be encountered in the workplace.

According to OSHA CPL 2-2.53, these are the general program elements required for a training program:

1. Emphasis on “hands-on” training involving mannequins and trainee partners.
2. Exposure to acute injury and illness settings as well as appropriate response including the use of visual aids.
3. Include a course workbook.
4. Allow enough time for the course to cover likely situations for your facility.
5. Emphasis on quick response.

Topics to be included:

1. Injury and acute illness;
2. Working with local emergency response system and teams, and how they are to be contacted;
3. Principles of triage;
4. Legal aspects of providing first aid;
5. Methods of surveying an incident scene and assessment of need for first aid and how to provide it safely;
6. Performing primary survey(s) of victim(s), including airway, breathing and circulation;
7. Getting a victim’s health history at the scene;
8. CPR;
9. Bandaging;
10. Splinting;
11. Rescue and transport of victim(s);
12. Personal protective equipment (PPE); and
13. Tagging and disposal of any contaminated sharp or material.
    See Bloodborne Pathogens topic.

Trainees should be tested upon completion of initial training. Assessment should include instructor observation of acquired skills and written performance assessments.

First-aid responders may have long intervals between learning and using CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills. OSHA recommends that instructor-led retraining for life-threatening emergencies should occur at least annually. Retraining for non-life-threatening response should occur periodically.

Must emergency responders be certified?

If an employer is required to have employees who are “trained responders” on site per an applicable standard (e.g., permit-required confined spaces), then they must have current certifications. Typically, these certifications are administered by the entity which provides the training (e.g., American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council, etc.). As such, an employer would be expected to follow that entity’s re-certification schedule as necessary.