New WorkSafeBC first aid regulations come into effect next month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — WorkSafeBC is amending its Operational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations regarding providing first aid on the job for the first time in more than twenty years.

The amendments to what WorkSafeBC calls “Schedule 3-A”, which will take effect on November 1st, 2024, are reportedly meant to strengthen the current requirements and align them with new standards issued by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in recent years.

According to WorkSafeBC, under the amended regulations, employers will have a “two-part” duty to provide employees with first aid. 

The first part will require employers to provide the minimum “supplies, facilities, and first aid attendants” mandated by Schedule 3-A. 

That minimum amount will vary between job sites based on the number of employees, the industry’s hazard rating, the site’s proximity to a BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) ambulance station, and whether ambulances can physically reach the site.

Meanwhile, the second part will require employers to consult workers regarding anything else the workplace needs to provide employees with first aid.

The amendments also include guidelines for “less accessible” workplaces that BCEHS would struggle to reach safely, as well as new training procedures and requirements for first aid kits and equipment.

The document below contains all the amendments and new regulations.