Occupational First Aid

Holman is committed to ensuring that first aid requirements are met under provincial regulations. This includes training team members in the appropriate level of first aid, and ensuring appropriate first aid services, supplies, and equipment are readily accessible for the prompt treatment of any injury or illness.

 

First Aid Risk Assessment

To determine the level of first aid services and equipment appropriate to the workplace, the employer should conduct a first aid risk assessment. Some jurisdictions provide a classification that can help identify the employer’s risk level.

In assessing, consider the following; the number of team members per shift, the surface travel time to a healthcare facility, individuals working alone, and the size and layout of the workplace. Additional first aid kits/first aid attendants might be required, depending on the outcome of a first aid risk assessment. 

First Aid Attendants

The employer will ensure that the required minimum number of first aid attendants and their related training levels are upheld at all times.

Please refer to First Aid Requirements belowfor the applicable details. When calculating the number of first aid attendants, it is necessary to ensure continuous coverage at all times including proper coverage for absences.

Where the workplace requires a team member to work alone in situations where assistance would not be readily available to them in the event the team member is injured or ill, the Manager will, if reasonable, ensure that the team member holds a valid emergency first aid certificate.

The Emergency Response Plan posted on the H&S communication board will include the names, contact information and locations of designated first aid attendants and the location of first aid supplies and equipment readily available on the premises. Communicate the location of first aid services and equipment at the time of hiring (team member orientation) and on an annual/as-needed basis.

A record of each first aid attendant’s certificate and expiry date must be maintained by the Health and Safety Committee and made available if requested by a provincial health and safety officer. 

First Aid Treatment Record

A First Aid Treatment Record form will be kept in each first-aid kit. First aid attendants must complete each time first aid treatment is provided. These forms will be reviewed by the HSC at least quarterly to determine if further investigation or recommendations for corrective actions are needed.

First Aid Attendant Responsibilities

• Maintain training in first aid and CPR as required by provincial guidelines.
• Have general control and supervision of first aid kit(s).
• Keep first aid certificate at the Workplace and show it to the provincial health and safety officer upon request.
• Offer and administer immediate first aid treatment to individuals reporting injury or illness who accept the offer for such treatment.
• Be available to provide treatment as quickly as possible if an individual is injured.
• Record any workplace injury or illness that requires first aid treatment using First Aid Treatment Record and submit to the responsible manager and HSC member.
• With the help of a HSR or HSC record any workplace injury or illness that requires professional medical treatment or lost time from work using the Incident Report.
• Document any refusal of first aid treatment in the report. Treatment is not to be administered if the injured individual has declined it.
• A bias for treatment will be applied in the event that an individual is unconscious.
• Responsible for all first-aid treatment of an injured team member until this responsibility is transferred to a place of medical treatment, an ambulance, or a person with higher or equivalent first-aid certification.

 

First Aid Kits

The employer will ensure the availability of the appropriate number and type of first aid kits, in compliance with provincial regulations found under Provincial First Aid Requirements below.  The employer may augment the minimum requirements for first aid kits in the workplace to account for any specific workplace hazards or risk or to address other site-specific conditions.

For roles that involve travel, a hazard assessment should be conducted to evaluate the risk of injury and the availability of timely assistance. As a best practice, a CSA Personal First Aid Kit is recommended for personal vehicles.

First Aid Kit Inspection Record

The first aid kits will undergo inspection and replenishment by the HSR or HSC (assisted by first attendant if needed) during the scheduled workplace inspection process. Required content can be audited using the First Aid Content Inspection Checklist.

Workplace Opioid Overdose & Naloxone Response

If the employer becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that there may be a risk of a team member having an opioid overdose at a workplace, the Business must provide and maintain in good condition a naloxone kit in the workplace. Naloxone administration is not

part of approved workplace first aid training. A team member who is authorized to administer naloxone can be a first aid attendant, but must also be separately trained and competent to administer naloxone.

Reporting Procedures

Should an injury occur, regardless of seriousness, it is essential that first aid be administered immediately followed by proper medical treatment if necessary. Workplace injuries or illnesses must first be reported to the first aid attendant on-site and a secondary report must be made to the Manager by the injured or ill worker as soon as reasonably practicable. The following principles will also be observed:

• The first person on the scene of an injury should immediately contact the Workplace’s first aid attendant and/or any other emergency contact deemed appropriate in the circumstance, such as 911 for serious injuries.
• If the first person on the scene is trained in First Aid and CPR they will take the appropriate actions based on their level of training. They will continue to administer first aid treatment until medical aid (if needed) is available.
• The person administering first aid will ensure that the matter is brought to the attention of a Manager at the earliest opportunity so that required reporting obligations may be promptly completed.
• Transportation of an injured worker to a hospital, doctor’s office or worker’s home will be provided by a Manager or an ambulance if deemed necessary in the circumstances.
• A Manager will notify the injured person’s emergency contact (where applicable) after the status of the injured persons’ condition is known, if deemed appropriate in the circumstances.

Workplace injury or illness resulting in missed time from work or requiring medical attention beyond first aid must be reported to the provincial Workers’ Compensation [see Incident Reporting and Investigation].

First aid records and statistics will be kept for at least 5 years and will be regularly reviewed by the leadership team to determine trends and recommend corrective actions.

• The basic requirements for first aid have been revised to require employers to complete a written assessment of the specific circumstances in the workplace to determine the appropriate level of first aid equipment, supplies, facilities, first aid attendants and services. Employers are required to review and update the written assessment within 12 months and whenever a significant change occurs, which affects the assessment.
• First aid drills must be conducted annually to test the written procedures.
• The current Schedule 3-A will be completely replaced with a new one basing minimum first aid requirements on four classes of workplace remoteness and accessibility.
• Certification for first aid attendants is updated from a level 1, 2 and 3 certificate to a basic, intermediate, and advanced certificate to match the terminology in CSA Z1210-17.
• Levels of first aid are currently based on numbers of workers per shift and how long it takes to transport an injured worker to a hospital. In the approved amendments, levels of first aid will be determined by the number of workers present at the workplace on a shift, how remote and accessible the workplace is from and by ambulance personnel, and the hazard rating of the workplace. 
• A new section requires employers to provide emergency transportation for an injured worker from a workplace to a qualifying hospital if an ambulance cannot safely reach the workplace within 30 minutes in the following situations: 1) a shift of 20 or more workers if the workplace has a low hazard rating; 2) a shift of 10 or more workers if the workplace has a moderate hazard rating.

Ontario First Aid Requirements

Ontario First Aid Kits, First Aid Attendants and Certification

First Aid Requirements | Regulation 1101|Section 10 |First Aid Kit Requirements

Section 10 (1) Every employer employing more than fifteen and fewer than 200 workers in any one shift at a place of employment shall provide and maintain at the place of employment one stretcher, two blankets and a first aid station with a first aid box containing as a minimum the following items: 

1. A current edition of a standard St. John Ambulance First Aid Manual. 
2. 24 safety pins
3. 1 basin, preferably stainless steel
4. dressings consisting of:  
   1. 48 adhesive dressings, individually wrapped,  
   1. 2 rolls of adhesive tape, 1 inch wide,   
   1. 12 rolls of 1-inch gauze bandage,   
   1. 48 sterile gauze pads, 3 inches square,   
   1. 8 rolls of 2-inch gauze bandage,    
   1. 8 rolls of 4-inch gauze bandage,  
   1. 6 sterile surgical pads suitable for pressure dressings, individually wrapped,  
   1. 12 triangular bandages,    
   1. splints of assorted sizes, and   
   1. 2 rolls of splint padding. 

(2)  The employer shall ensure that the first aid station is at all times in the charge of a worker who, 

1. is the holder of a valid St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid Certificate or its equivalent
2. works in the immediate vicinity of the box.

When calculating the number of first aid attendants, it is necessary to ensure continuous coverage.