First Aid Room Facility Worksafe BC

First Aid Room - a first aid room should be at least 9.3 square metres (100 sq. ft.). It should have the following:

• Storage cupboards
• A counter
• A toilet, or have a toilet facility as near as practicable
• The following first aid room equipment

Note: At a remote workplace (more than 2 hours' surface travel time to a hospital), a first aid room should be equipped to provide reasonable overnight care for two injured workers and be used exclusively for first aid purposes.

First aid facilities general requirements
Schedule 3–A, Minimum Levels of First Aid in the Regulation, contains the minimum levels of first aid required for various workplaces. Tables 1-6 indicate in column 2 whether or not a first aid facility is required, and, if a facility is required, what type (dressing station or first aid room). The list above specifies the equipment required in each facility. Below gives guidance on how to set up a first aid facility and some specific recommendations for dressing stations and first aid rooms.

Under section 3.16(4) of the Regulation, a first aid facility must be kept clean, dry, ready for use, and must be readily accessible at any time a worker works in the workplace.

General recommendations for all first aid facilities

Location and access

A first aid facility should be located as near as practicable to the work area or areas it is to serve. It should be a room within a building or, if this is not practicable, a tent, vehicle, or other suitable structure.

The first aid facility should be designed and located for easy entrance to and exit from the facility for a worker requiring stretcher transport. A stretcher should not have to be tipped or turned to enter or exit the first aid facility.

In remote areas, building a first aid facility may not be practicable. However, the facility should be at least of the same design and construction as workers' lodgings. If trailers are provided for workers' lodgings, a trailer should be provided for the first aid facility.

When a tent is used, it should adhere to the following:

• Be of the same size and have the same equipment as a first aid room or dressing station, as appropriate
• Be fitted with a non-porous floor that can be cleaned with soap and water
• Have a source of heat that will not be a hazard when oxygen is in use and will provide sufficient warmth for good patient care (maintaining body temperature)

A first aid facility may be locked to prevent theft and vandalism or for other appropriate reasons. If so, there must be effective means of immediate access during all working hours.

Utilities
The facility should be adequately illuminated, heated, and ventilated. It should have a sink plumbed with hot and cold running water or, if this is not practicable, an alternative system for supplying fresh, potable water. If showering may be a required treatment for chemical exposure, the facility should have a shower or have a shower facility as near as practicable. It may be impracticable to plumb a first aid facility in certain situations, such as where the facility is a trailer on a construction site or the work is at a remote location. In these cases, one of the following alternative sources of water, with means to heat it, may be considered until a permanent source of water can be connected:

• The facility has an internal tank able to hold a minimum of 45 litres (10 gallons) of fresh potable water which can be pumped into the facility's sink. The water in this tank must be changed daily, or changed weekly if treated for the prevention of contamination.
• The facility is connected to a hose or water line from a fresh potable water outlet that can be pumped into the facility's sink.
• The facility has an insulated container able to hold about 20 litres (5 gallons) of fresh potable water changed daily to prevent contamination.
• A fresh water supply company provides fresh water in a bottle or jug attached to a hot and cold dispenser.

Other recommendations
Since the facility must be kept clean and sanitary, a non-porous floor covering is recommended. The facility should have a notice conspicuously displayed outside the door or in the area, indicating how to call and where to find the first aid attendant, and if necessary how to unlock and access the facility.

The first aid facility is also subject to the general requirements relating to workplace premises in the Regulation; for example, sections 6.33 to 6.41 (biological agents) and sections 4.81 to 4.83 (environmental tobacco smoke).

Smoking is not permitted in a first aid facility, and "No Smoking" signs should be conspicuously posted.

Using a first aid facility for purposes other than first aid
A first aid facility may be used for purposes other than first aid if the following exists:

• It is immediately available for first aid treatment
• The facility is not at a remote workplace (more than 2 hours' surface travel from a hospital)
• The minimum floor area needed for first aid is maintained
• Such use will neither impede the treatment of an injured worker nor pose a hazard to workers

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