On November 1, 2024, amendments to Part 3 – Minimum Levels of First Aid of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation take effect. These changes will align B.C.’s workplace first aid training programs and kits 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 Backgrounder: Occupational first aid regulatory changes.
Understanding the new requirements
WorkSafeBC has published several resources to help you 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. WorkSafeBC has developed a worksheet to help employers document these needs. The worksheet is available on the First aid requirements page.
Video resources
WorkSafeBC has developed a series of informational videos outlining the new requirements and how to meet them. Topics include:
- OHS Regulation changes
- Written first aid assessments
- 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 BC now only offer 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. After that point first aid attendants will require a CSA 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, please see OHS guideline G3.15(b)-4 in the preliminary guidelines for Part 3.