Published on: June 06, 2024

Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation requirements for first aid come into effect on November 1, 2024.

In preparation for those changes, employers across the province will need to conduct a first aid assessment in accordance with the new requirements to determine what level of first aid attendant and equipment they will require. This page provides an overview of the changes to first aid certification levels, training and transition planning for first aid attendants, and resources that will soon be available to help employers make these changes.

Changes to first aid certification levels

The amendments to the OHS Regulation align first aid requirements with standards established by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). These benchmarks are used across the country to guide workplace first aid programs. This will result in new names for first aid certification levels, as well as decreased training time for the new intermediate level, as follows.

Current certification level and training duration:

• Level 1 (7 hours)
• Level 2 (35 hours)
• Level 3 (70 hours)

New certification level and training duration:

• Basic (7 hours)
• Intermediate (14 hours)
• Advanced (70 hours)

The Transportation endorsement remains unchanged in both name and training duration.

First aid training and transition planning for first aid attendants

There will be a period of transition as employers work to comply with the new requirements, and as training providers switch to aligning their certification training to the new standards.

Training providers are expected to offer the new CSA-aligned first aid courses beginning in July 2024. Training needs for first aid attendants will depend on their current certification level and certificate expiry date:

• Before October 31: For first aid attendants with a current Level 2 certificate that is set to expire between July 2 and October 30, certification will be extended until October 31. This will give Level 2 first aid attendants time to recertify at the intermediate level by November 1.
  Attendants with Level 1 or Level 3 certificates that expire before October 31 will need to be trained at the new basic and advanced levels and receive the new certification. These certificate levels will not be extended because the training requirements remain the same for the new levels.
• After October 31: First aid certificates for levels 1, 2, or 3 that expire after October 31 are valid until their expiry date. In these cases, valid Level 1, 2, and 3 certificates will be considered equivalent to Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced (respectively) until the certificates expire.

Resources for employers

WorkSafeBC is developing resources to help employers prepare for these changes. The following materials will be available from our First aid requirements webpage in June:

• Preliminary revised guidelines — these guidelines will provide additional clarity on aspects of the amended first aid requirements. For example, factors to consider as part of a first aid assessment include, what worksites should be considered remote and less accessible, how and when to conduct a first aid drill, what needs to be included as part of first aid procedures, and when to consider air transportation when working in remote or less accessible areas.
• First aid assessment — a template to assist employers in determining the minimum first aid requirements they will need as of November 1.
• First aid kit contents lists — recommended minimum supplies for each level of first aid kit.

For more information

Visit Part 3: Minimum Levels of First Aid to view the full text of the OHS Regulation amendments.

This information originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of WorkSafe Magazine. To read more or to subscribe, visit WorkSafe Magazine.