Occupational first aid: Last update before regulation changes
On November 1, 2024, amendments to Part 3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation take effect. These changes will align B.C.’s requirements for workplace first aid with standards set by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
Below you can find information and resources to help employers meet these new requirements.
For a more detailed overview, please see our Backgrounder: Occupational first aid regulatory changes. A strikethrough version of the changes to Part 3 of the Regulation is also available.
Understanding the new requirements
We have published several resources to help employers understand and implement the new first aid requirements.
Preliminary guidelines
The preliminary OHS Guidelines for Part 3 — Occupational First Aid will help employers determine which first aid services their workplaces require as of November 1.
First aid assessment worksheet
Starting November 1, employers will have a duty to assess and document workplace first aid requirements in consultation with their workers.
This written assessment will help employers determine the services and equipment needed to ensure prompt treatment and transport to a medical facility. We have developed a worksheet to help employers document these needs.
An overview is also available on the First aid requirements page.
Video resources
We have developed a series of informational videos outlining the new requirements and how to meet them. Topics include:
- OHS Regulation changes
- Written first aid assessment
- Reviewing your first aid assessment and conducting drills
- Remote and less-accessible workplaces
- First aid equipment and training
CSA workplace first aid curriculum
Training providers in B.C. now offer only CSA-aligned first aid courses. This means first aid attendants can no longer take Occupational First Aid (OFA) courses.
OFA certificates are valid until their expiry date
OFA certificates remain valid until their expiry date. After October 31, 2024, active OFA certificates will become equivalent to the basic, intermediate, and advanced CSA certificates.
This means there will be OFA certificates that remain valid after the regulatory changes come into effect on November 1. For example, an OFA 2 certificate issued April 9, 2024, will remain valid until April 9, 2027. At that point the first aid attendant will require a CSA intermediate certificate.
Emergency Medical Assistants (EMA) licences recognized
Starting November 1, 2024, employers can accept the following EMA licences as alternative qualifications for occupational first aid attendants:
- First Responder (EMA FR) — intermediate first aid
- Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) — advanced first aid
- Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) — advanced first aid
- Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) — advanced first aid
- Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) — advanced first aid
EMA licence-holders will no longer need to apply for equivalent certificates through a first aid training provider.
Employers must ensure that EMA licence-holders understand their responsibilities and operational limitations as occupational first aid attendants. For details, see OHS guideline G3.15(b)-4 in the preliminary guidelines for Part 3.
For more information
- OHS Guidelines for Part 3 — Occupational First Aid (preliminary revision)
- Backgrounder: Occupational first aid regulatory changes
- First aid requirements (webpage)
- First aid attendant certification (webpage)