How Your Company Can Become WorkSafeBC Compliant in 5 Easy Steps

Did you know that WorkSafeBC has rules about first aid training and first aid kits in BC businesses? A lot of companies (especially small businesses) aren’t always aware of these requirements.

Lucky for you, there is an easy way to make sure your business is compliant.

1. Figure out your company’s hazard rating.

All businesses are considered either low risk, moderate risk, or high risk. WorkSafeBC has a handy guide to help you determine your hazard rating, based on the activities you conduct as an organization.

For example, a hotel or an office would be considered low risk. A car repair shop would be considered high risk.

2. Determine whether your organization is more or less than 20 minutes away from a hospital.

WorkSafeBC requires different first aid training levels and different first aid kits for organizations who are closer than 20 minutes from a hospital than they do for organizations who are more than 20 minutes from a hospital. It makes perfect sense – when you’re further from help, you’ll need the supplies and skills to care for a casualty and keep them alive longer.

3. Count how many employees you have on shift at any given time.

The rules surrounding what level of training and which first aid kits are based around staff on shift – not people in the building. This means that (for example) hotels should only count front desk workers, housekeepers, etc., and not the guests staying in the rooms.

4. Look up your company’s hazard rating and distance from the hospital in WorkSafeBC’s regulations.

Once you know if your organization is low, moderate, or high risk, and know how far from a hospital it is located, take a look in Schedule C of WorkSafeBC’s regulations. It clearly lays out the requirements based on risk, distance from hospital, and employees on shift.

5. Purchase the required kits and register your staff for the required courses.

This is where we come in – you can purchase all levels of WorkSafeBC first aid kits, and take Occupational First Aid Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and/or Transportation Endorsement through Alert First Aid. We even offer a steep discount on first aid kits if you register for a course with us (often up to 25% off!).

To make sure you stay compliant, and are ready for any inspection, I’d recommend keeping the right WorkSafeBC first aid kit on site and untouched, and supplementing your first aid supplies with an easily accessible first aid kit full of the basics (like this one).

And that’s it! Keeping your organization WorkSafeBC compliant doesn’t have to be hard if you just follow these five steps.