OSHA requires adequate first aid provision at every workplace, trained responders when medical help is not nearby, and annual bloodborne pathogens training for exposed employees.
What the standard actually says
OSHA's general first aid standard, 29 CFR 1910.151, requires that adequate first aid supplies be readily available, and that where no infirmary, clinic, or hospital is in near proximity, a person or persons be adequately trained to render first aid.
OSHA does not name a single approved provider or a single approved format. It requires that training be adequate for the hazards present.
'Near proximity' in practice
OSHA has interpreted near proximity as roughly three to four minutes for workplaces with serious hazards such as suffocation, severe bleeding, or cardiac risk, and up to about fifteen minutes for lower-hazard sites.
If emergency medical services cannot realistically reach your site inside that window, trained on-site responders are required, not optional.
Is CPR specifically required?
CPR is not universally mandated by the general standard, but OSHA treats it as part of adequate first aid wherever cardiac arrest is a foreseeable risk, and several industry-specific standards require it directly — including electrical work, logging, permit-required confined spaces, and diving operations.
In practice, most safety programs include CPR/AED for designated responders because the alternative is defending the absence of it after an incident.
Bloodborne pathogens is separate and annual
29 CFR 1910.1030 requires employers to train every employee with reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material — at the time of assignment and at least annually thereafter.
This applies well beyond healthcare: custodial and janitorial staff, tattoo and piercing studios, corrections, school nurses and aides, laundry handling soiled linens, and designated workplace first-aid responders.
Documenting compliance
Keep a record of who is trained, in what, and when it expires. Certification cards issued through National CPR Institute of Education carry a unique verification ID and can be verified online, which makes them straightforward to attach to a safety file or audit response.
For teams, group purchasing lets an administrator buy seats, invite employees by email, and track who has completed training from one dashboard.
Does OSHA require CPR certification?
Not in every workplace. OSHA requires adequately trained first aid responders where medical help is not in near proximity, and several industry-specific standards require CPR directly. Most employers include CPR in their first aid training for this reason.
How often is bloodborne pathogens training required?
Annually, for every employee with reasonably anticipated occupational exposure, plus at the time of initial assignment.
Does OSHA accept online first aid training?
OSHA does not mandate a specific format or provider. It requires training adequate for the hazards present. Online cognitive training is widely used for compliance, though some employers add a hands-on component.