First Aid and Medical Services at Work

When someone is hurt at work, the first few minutes matter. This standard is only three paragraphs long. It asks you to have medical personnel available for advice, to have trained first aid help on hand when a medical facility is not close by, to keep adequate first aid supplies readily available, and to provide a way to flush the eyes and body where people may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials.

Who it applies to

Section 1910.151 is in 29 CFR Part 1910, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Subpart K (Medical and First Aid). The section itself lists no exemptions by employer size or type of work.

Construction has its own rule, 29 CFR 1926.50, covered in a separate section below.

What the standard requires

Medical personnel for advice

You must ensure the ready availability of medical personnel for advice and consultation on matters of plant health (1910.151(a)).

First aid providers and supplies

If there is no infirmary, clinic, or hospital "in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees," a person or persons must be adequately trained to render first aid (1910.151(b)).

The regulation does not define "near proximity." It gives no distance and no number of minutes.

The same paragraph also says: "Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available" (1910.151(b)). It does not list what the supplies must be.

Eyewash and drenching facilities

Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, you must provide suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body. They must be within the work area, for immediate emergency use (1910.151(c)).

Appendix A on first aid kits (non-mandatory)

Appendix A to 1910.151 is labeled "Non-Mandatory." It is guidance, not a requirement. It says that:

• An example of the minimal contents of a generic first aid kit is described in ANSI Z308.1-1998, and that those contents "should be adequate for small worksites."
• For larger or multiple operations at the same location, employers should determine the need for additional kits, equipment, and supplies.
• Employers should assess the specific needs of their worksite periodically and augment the first aid kit appropriately.

The appendix also points to the bloodborne pathogens standard, 1910.1030(d)(3), for personal protective equipment where it is reasonably anticipated that employees will be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials while using first aid supplies.

Training

When no such facility is in near proximity, a person or persons must be "adequately trained to render first aid" (1910.151(b)). The text of 1910.151 does not name a course, a certifying organization, or a retraining interval.

Written programs and records

Section 1910.151 does not call for a written program, a certification record, or an inspection record.

Construction: 29 CFR 1926.50

On construction work, 29 CFR 1926.50 is the counterpart. It is more detailed:

• Medical advice. You must insure the availability of medical personnel for advice and consultation on matters of occupational health (1926.50(a)).
• Plan ahead. Provisions must be made before the project starts for prompt medical attention in case of serious injury (1926.50(b)).
• First aid provider. If no infirmary, clinic, hospital, or physician is reasonably accessible in terms of time and distance to the worksite and available to treat injured employees, a person with a valid first aid training certificate must be available at the worksite to render first aid. The certificate must be from the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the American Red Cross, or equivalent training that can be verified by documentary evidence (1926.50(c)).
• Supplies. First aid supplies must be easily accessible when required (1926.50(d)(1)). Kit contents must be in a weatherproof container with individual sealed packages for each type of item. You must check them before the kit is sent out on each job and at least weekly on each job, to ensure that expended items are replaced (1926.50(d)(2)).
• Transportation or communication. You must provide proper equipment for prompt transportation of the injured person to a physician or hospital, or a communication system for contacting necessary ambulance service (1926.50(e)).
• Emergency numbers. In areas where 911 is not available, the telephone numbers of the physicians, hospitals, or ambulances must be conspicuously posted (1926.50(f)(1)).
• Eyewash. The rule for injurious corrosive materials uses the same wording as 1910.151(c) (1926.50(g)).

Easy-to-miss requirements

• Medical advice has no proximity condition. Paragraph (a) does not contain the "in the absence of" wording that paragraph (b) does (1910.151(a)).
• A nearby facility is not the whole test. The condition refers to a facility "which is used for the treatment of all injured employees" (1910.151(b)).
• Flushing facilities cover the body, not only the eyes. The text says "eyes and body," and it says "any person" (1910.151(c)).
• Construction worksite location. Where 911 is available and your communication system is used in an area that does not automatically give the dispatcher the caller's latitude and longitude, you must post at the worksite, in a conspicuous location, either the latitude and longitude or other location information that communicates effectively to employees where the worksite is (1926.50(f)(2)(ii)(A)). This does not apply to worksites with readily available telephone land lines whose 911 service automatically identifies the caller's location (1926.50(f)(2)(ii)(B)).

Related guides

• Bloodborne pathogens
• Emergency action plans
• Hazard communication

Source

This guide is based on the text of 29 CFR 1910.151 as published on osha.gov. The regulation itself always controls. States that run their own OSHA-approved State Plans may have additional or stricter rules.