Your Small Business' Safety Net: First Aid Training Saves Lives

First aid training is a crucial component of workplace safety initiatives, helping to lower the 2,607,900 recorded nonfatal injuries and illnesses and the 5,190 recorded fatal injuries reported by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics for the 2021 work year.

With fatalities up almost 9% from the year prior, businesses must recognize their moral and legal responsibility to protect workers. As employers, we have the opportunity and duty to implement effective safety measures to safeguard our employees on the job.

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What Employers Can Do to Improve Workplace Safety Compliance 

While taking a proactive approach is always the preferred course of action, even the safest and most diligent workplaces encounter less-than-ideal scenarios. Accidents and medical emergencies can happen at any time. Employers should have solid response procedures in place to respond to these circumstances effectively. 

One of the most critical procedures to implement is first aid training and a volunteer response team that can respond to accidents quickly and aptly. In this post, I’ll cover how to form your company’s own volunteer first aid team, how to ensure they’re well-trained (especially in CPR and first aid), and finally, where to turn for help getting started. 

First Aid Training 101

• Know your workplace risks 

Your workplace is unique, and so are its potential risks, hazards and challenges. The cornerstone of any workplace safety initiative is a thorough risk assessment. After conducting an assessment, you can triage issues that need to be immediately addressed and come up with a proactive plan for latent issues that may creep up in the future.

This is a crucial first step to take before you form a volunteer emergency response team and implement a first aid training program, as you’ll need to know what kinds of scenarios you should train your team to respond to. 

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• Check your compliance boxes 

Recognizing potential risks is the first step to forming a volunteer emergency response team; ensuring your company is on track with safety compliance is the second. Before you enlist the help of employees, you need to be certain that all health and safety regulations are met. For example, your workplace may be required by OSHA to train certain employees to render first aid. 

OSHA’s standard on medical service and first aid (1910.151) states that “in the absence of an infirmary, clinic or hospital within no more than 3-4 minutes from the workplace, which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid.” What is “proximate” may not be as close as you think—don’t forget to factor in the time it takes to reach a medical care provider and for care to be administered. 

OSHA has interpreted standard 1910.151 to require specific response times in the event of a life-threatening injury or illness. The Agency has stated that at workplaces where accidents may result in “suffocation, severe bleeding,” or where “other life-threatening injury or illness can reasonably be expected,” a 3-4 minute response first aid time is appropriate. This time period is measured from the time the injury occurs to the time first aid is administered. 

Where a life-threatening injury is an unlikely outcome of an accident, OSHA has stated that a “15-minute response time is acceptable.” 

• Complete OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training 

When it comes to treating employees with injuries, small business owners need to be aware of and in compliance with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), which requires employers to provide information and training to employees who may come into contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms present in human blood that can cause diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. This is a must-have component of any first aid training program.

• • Coverage 

All employers who have employees with occupational exposure to blood or OPIM, such as certain body fluids. 

For small businesses, if you have designated personnel to provide first aid, they must receive training on bloodborne pathogens. Additionally, if there's a potential for hand or skin contact with blood while administering first aid, PPE, like gloves, should be available. 

• • Requirements 

In general, the standard requires employers to: 

• • • Establish an exposure control plan 
    • Update the plan annually 
    • Implement the use of universal precautions 
    • Identify and use engineering controls 
    • Identify and ensure the use of work practice controls 
    • Provide personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, gowns, eye protection, and masks 
    • Make available hepatitis B vaccinations to all workers with occupational exposure 
    • Make available post-exposure evaluation and follow-up to any occupationally exposed worker who experiences an exposure incident 
    • Use labels and signs to communicate hazards 
    • Provide information and training to workers 
    • Maintain worker medical and training records 

For small business owners, understanding and adhering to OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard is crucial not only for compliance but also for ensuring the health and safety of your workforce. Learn more about BBP training from OSHA. 

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• Assemble volunteers for your office first aid response team and get a plan in place 

Once you’ve identified risks and ensured you’re operating compliantly, you can involve your employees in your first aid training program, including the administration of first aid and CPR. On-site workplace safety volunteers are a great first line of defense to help you reduce your response time after an employee injury occurs. 

Recruiting volunteers for additional responsibilities may seem like a tall order, but a little incentivization can go a long way. You should target recruits who have shown an ability to remain calm under pressure, who value rule-following, and who have a willingness to learn.

If your company employs workers across multiple shifts, first aid volunteers should be correspondingly dispersed across all working hours as needed. Employees should be instructed that as a part of the first aid response team, they may be confronted with uncomfortable or graphic situations and that their duty to act with integrity and confidentiality regarding any emergency is of paramount importance. 

After identifying your risks and compliance requirements and putting together your team, you’re ready to outline a plan that’s venue-specific, identifies likely scenarios and defines the roles of employees in an emergency.

Your organization’s response plan should include a physical map of your workspace’s floor area and should have AED and first aid kit locations marked. It should also include reporting procedures, so team members can be mobilized immediately. 

Conducting CPR & First Aid Training at Work

Well-trained office safety volunteers are mission-critical in an emergency where every minute counts. You’ll need to coordinate with experienced safety professionals to ensure your employee safety volunteers have completed a proper first aid training program, including CPR certification. 

Working with a PEO that provides risk management services can help you gain peace of mind surrounding your business' first aid training program. At Axcet HR Solutions, we work alongside you to develop a tailored workplace safety plan for each of your physical locations. We identify potential hazards from safety and regulatory standpoints and then help you correct and/or prepare for them. 

Axcet knows how crucial safety training is. We provide CPR and first-aid training to our clients, so you can be sure that your team members are prepared to respond appropriately when an emergency occurs. Axcet’s customized safety programs don’t stop at first aid—we can work with you to ensure your plan covers anything from evacuation plans to industry-specific safety guidelines. 

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Axcet HR Solutions: Your Partner for Workplace Safety Training & Risk Management 

At Axcet HR Solutions, we conduct a thorough risk assessment of your workplace and potentially catch things you didn’t… or things that OSHA might catch during an inspection. Experienced PEOs, like us, are familiar with federal, state and local safety requirements and can help you meet them. In some cases, outside experts, such as industrial hygienists, may be needed. Your PEO can help coordinate the right professional for your unique needs. 

No matter your industry, location or business size, safety always comes first. When your organization works with Axcet HR Solutions, you gain a partner with veteran expertise in workplace safety compliance, risk management, workers’ compensation and more. Do you have safety and HR compliance needs? Find out what we can do to help. Contact Axcet's risk management team today.