First Aid Regulations

ALBERTA OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH & SAFETY Act

New First Aid Regulation
May 2000

Employer Responsibilities

Employers must, as required by this Regulation, provide first aid services and maintain first aid equipment and supplies at the work site for their workers and a first aid room.

Location of first aid services, equipment, supplies

An employer and prime contractor must:
 

a. ensure that first aid services, first aid equipment, supplies and the first aid room required by this Regulation are:
i. located at or near the work site that they are intended to serve, and
ii. available and accessible during all working hours,
and that the equipment and supplies are:
iii. maintained in a clean, dry and serviceable condition,
iv. containted in a material that protects the contents from the environment, and
v. clearly identified as first aid equipment and supplies,
b. post, at conspicuous places on the worksite, signs indicating the location of first aid services, equipment and supplies or, if posting of signs is not practicable, ensure that each worker knows the location of first aid services, equipment and supplies, and
c. ensure that an emergency communication system is in place for workers to summon first aid services.

Transportation
 

1. An employer must ensure that, prior to the dispatch of workers to a work site, arrangements are in place for transportation of injured or ill workers from the work site to the nearest health care facility.
2. An employer must ensure that transportation is available for transport of injured or ill workers to a health care facility that meets the following requirements:
a. an ambulance service is available for the work site under normal travel conditions
b. a means of transportation is available from the work site that:
i. is suitable, considering the distance to be travelled and the types of acute illness or injuries that may occur at the work site,
ii. affords protection against the weather,
iii. is equipped with a means of communication with the health care facility to which the injured or ill worker is being transported and the work site, and
iv. is of sufficient size and suitability to accomodate a stretcher and an accompanying person where required.
3. An employer must provide a means of communication to summon the ambulance service or transportation described in subsection 2.
4. If a worker is acutely ill or injured, or needs to be accompanied during transport to a health care facility, an employer must ensure that the worker is accompanied by at least one first aider, other than the operator of the transportation.

Duty to report accident, illness

A worker must, on suffering an acute illness or injury, report it to the employer as soon as practicable.
 

Record of accident, illness
 

1. An employer must create and maintain a written record, for at least 3 years, of every acute illness or injury that occurs at the work site.
2. A record under subsection 1 must include the following information:
a. the name of the employee;
b. the name and qualifications of the person giving first aid;
c. the date and time of the acute illness or injury;
d. the date and time the acute injury or illness was reported;
e. a description of the acute illness or injury, where it occurred and the cause;
f. the first aid provided.

Access to records
 
 

1. Access to first aid records is restricted to:
a. Individuals requiring access, use and disclosure of the information for the purpose of:
i. medical treatment,
ii. work site inspections,
iii. accident and incident investigation, or
iv. evaluation of health and safety programs and statistics,
and
b. the Workers' Compensation Board for the purposes of work site health and safety programs and statistics.
2. Persons with access to the first aid records must keep confidential the information contained in the records, except when using or disclosing the information for a person described in subsection 1.
3. On request, a worker may be given a copy of first aid records pertaining to the worker.

First Aid Training
 

1. An employer must ensure that each work site has appropriately trained first aiders as required by this Regulation.
2. A training agency that provides the first aid training to candidates for a certificate in Emergency First Aid, Standard First Aid or Advanced First Aid must comply with the terms of agreement with the Director of Medical Services to deliver first aid training.

Corrosive Chemicals
 

1. If workers are employed at a work site where corrosive or other chemicals harmful to the eyes or skin are used in any process at that work site, facilities must be immediately available to cleanse contaminated body areas.
2. The facilities referred to in subsection 1 must include emergency baths, showers, eye wash equipment or similar equipment that is appropriate to the level of exposure to the hazard at that work site.

Schedules

Schedule 1

LOW HAZARD WORK

Low hazard work means work at the following:
a. administrative sites where the work performed is clerical or administrative in nature;
b. dispersal sites
i. where a worker is based,
ii. where a worker is required to report for instruction, and 
iii. from which a worker is transported to a work site where the work is performed.

Schedule 2

HIGH HAZARD WORK

High hazard work means work involving the following activities:
a. construction or demolition, including
i. industrial and commercial process facilities,
ii. pipelines and related gas or oil transmission facilities,
iii. commercial, residential and industrial buildings,
iv. roads, highways bridges and related installations,
v. sewage gathering systems,
vi. utility installation, and
vii. water distribution systems;
b. operation and maintenance of:
i. food packing or processing plants,
ii. beverage processing plants,
iii. electrical generation and distribution systems,
iv. foundries
v. industrial heavy equipment repair and service facilities,
vi. sawmills and lumber processing facilities
vii. machine shops
viii. metal fabrication shops,
ix. gas, oil and chemical processing plants,
x. steel and other base metal processing plants, and 
xi. industrial process facilities not elsewhere specified;
c. woodlands operations;
d. gas and oil well drilling servicing operations;
e. mining and quarrying operations;
f. seismic operations;
g. detonation of explosives

Schedule 3

FIRST AID EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

1. A No. 1 Kit consists of  the following:
a. 10 - antiseptic cleansing towelettes, individually packaged;
b. 25 - sterile adhesive dressings, individually packaged;
c. 10 - 10cm x 10cm sterile gauze pads, individually packaged;
d. 2 - 10cm x 10cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
e. 2 - 15cm x 15cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
f. 2 - conform gauze bandages - 7.5cm;
g. 3 - cotton triangular bandages;
h. 5 - safety pins - assorted sizes;
i. 1 - pair of scissors;
j. 1 - pair of tweezers;
k. 1 - 25mm x 4.5m roll of adhesive tape;
l. 1 - crepe tension bandage - 75mm;
m. 1 - artificial resuscitation barrier device with a one-way valve;
n. 4 - pairs of disposable surgical gloves;
o. 1 - first aid instruction manual (condensed);
p. 1 - inventory of kit contents;
q. 1 - waterproof waste bag.
2. A No. 2 Kit consists of the following:
a. 10 - Antiseptic cleansing towelettes, individually packaged;
b. 50 - sterile adhesive dressings, individually packaged;
c. 20 - 10cm x 10cm sterile gauze pads, individually packaged;
d. 3 - 10cm x 10cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
e. 3 - 15cm x 15cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
f. 1 - 20cm x 25cm sterile abdominal dressing;
g. 2 - conform gauze bandages - 7.5cm;
h. 4 - cotton triangular bandages;
i. 8 - safety pins - assorted sizes;
j. 1 - pair of scissors;
k. 1 - pair of tweezers;
l. 1 - 25mm x 4.5m rolls of adhesive tape;
m. 2 - crepe tension bandages - 75mm;
n. 1 - artificial resuscitation barrier device with a one-way valve;
o. 6 - pairs of disposable surgical gloves;
p. 1 - sterile, dry eye dressing;
q. 1 - first aid instruction manual (condensed);
r. 1 - inventory of kit contents;
s. 1 - waterproof waste bag.
3. A No. 3 Kit consists of the following:
a. 24 - antiseptic cleansing towelettes, individually packaged;
b. 100 - sterile adhesive dressings, individually packaged;
c. 50 - 10cm x 10cm sterile gauze pads, individually packaged;
d. 6 - 10cm x 10cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
e. 6 - 15cm x 15cm sterile compress dressings, with ties, individually packaged;
f. 4 - 20cm x 25cm sterile abdominal dressings, individually packaged;
g. 6 - conform gauze bandages - 7.5cm;
h. 12 - cotton triangular bandages;
i. 12 - safety pins - assorted sizes;
j. 1 - pair of scissors;
k. 1 - pair of tweezers;
l. 2 - 25mm x 4.5m rolls of adhesive tape;
m. 4 - crepe tension bandages - 75mm;
n. 1 - artificial resuscitation barrier device with a one-way valve;
o. 12 - pairs of disposable surgical gloves;
p. 2 - sterile, dry eye dressings, individually packaged;
q. 1 - tubular finger bandage with applicator;
r. 1 - first aid instruction manual (condensed);
s. 1 - inventory of kit contents;
t. 2 - waterproof waste bags.
4. A Type P Kit consists of the following:
a. 10  - sterile adhesive dressings, assorted sizes, individually packaged;
b. 5 - 10cm x 10cm sterile gauze pads, individually packaged;
c. 1 - 10cm x 10cm sterile compress dressing, with ties;
d. 5 - antiseptic cleansing towellettes, individually packaged;
e. 1 - cotton triangular bandage;
f. 1 - waterproof waste bag;
g. 1 - pair of disposable surgical gloves.

Back to Top of Page