If you are an employer and are currently covered by the Workplace Safety & Insurance Act you must meet certain requirements regarding first aid equipment and training in all of your workplaces. According to the First Aid Requirements, all employers must provide the following:
- First aid training for workers
- First aid equipment
- First aid services
- Detailed records of incidents and they first aid administered
- Posted certificates, inspection cards and a first aid poster
First-aid kits may be purchased from any vendor while workplaces that have less than 5 workers must have a person that holds an Emergency First Aid certificate. The worker must have completed the course which involves 6.5 hours of instruction time. If there are 6 workers or more on any given shift, there must be a worker that has a Standard First Aid certificate. The instruction time for this particular program is 13 hours.
The training must be provided by an approved WSIB facility and all first-aid stations must be cared for by a worker with a first aid certificate that is valid. If there is more than one shift available for workers, a first aid certified person must be available for each shift.
It’s recommended that multiple workers be certified so that the responsibilities of one can be covered by another when he is on vacation or away from work for personal or physical reasons. When a large workplace is involved, there should be multiple individuals trained and certified. The person with the training should be no further than a 2-minute walk away from the ill or injured worker since brain damage can set in when a person has been deprived of oxygen for 4 minutes. For this reason, a workplace assessment should be carried out by employers to meet these requirements.
All work vehicles must have a first-aid kit on board and any medical incidents or accidents should be reported to the employer. All workers should also be trained to handle emergency situations.
At Heart2Heart CPR we offer WSIB-approved first-aid and CPR courses and recertification programs to help maintain safety in the workplace. In order to remain WSIB-compliant, employers must ensure that the above requirements are met and that all certifications remain valid at all times.
To learn more about these regulations please contact us toll-free at 1-866-260-2790 or phone us at 416.960.5319 in the Toronto area. You can also contact us directly through our website at heart2heartcpr.com.