July 2007 - OSHA First Aid Training Guidance

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it has canceled directive CPL 02-02-053, Guidelines for First Aid Training Programs, dated January 7, 1991. OSHA will now use the publication, Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program, which is available on OSHA’s Web site at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3317first-aid.pdf.

The Best Practices Guide was released in 2006 and details the primary components of a first aid program at the workplace. The recommended best practices include:

• Identifying and assessing the workplace risks that have potential to cause worker injury or illness.
• Designing and implementing a workplace first-aid program that aims to minimize the outcome of accidents or exposures; complies with OSHA requirements relating to first aid; includes sufficient quantities of appropriate and readily accessible first-aid supplies and first-aid equipment, such as bandages and automated external defibrillators; and assigns and trains first-aid providers who receive first-aid training suitable to the specific workplace and receive periodic refresher courses on first-aid skills and knowledge.
• Instructing all workers about the first-aid program, including what workers should do if a coworker is injured or ill.
• Providing for scheduled evaluation and changing of the first-aid program to keep the program current and applicable to emerging risks in the workplace, including regular assessment of the adequacy of the first-aid training course.
• Putting the policies and program in writing is recommended to implement the program elements.

The announcement of the cancellation can be found on the OSHA Web site at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=DIRECTIVES&p_id=3609.

COPYRIGHT ©2007, ISO Services Properties, Inc.

The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.