According to Regulation 1101, all workplaces in Ontario covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) must provide first aid training to their employees.The required training depends on the number of people working per shift at a workplace:

• For workplaces with 1-5 people working on any one shift, at least one must have an Emergency First Aid certificate.
• For workplaces with 6 or more people working on any shift, at least one must have a Standard First Aid certificate.

All first aid courses come with CPR Training. The level you require depends on if you have a workplace with children or babies present. There are three levels to choose from.

• CPR A: includes CPR techniques for adults only
• CPR C: includes CPR techniques for adults, children and infants.
• CPR-Basic Life Support (BLS/HCP): this course is for health care providers and covers all aspects of CPR skills and theory on adult, child and babies and includes rescue breathing (artificial respiration) and use of a bag-valve-masks (BVM)

Certain industries, accreditation colleges, or government regulations dictate which certification is required. Examples are:

• ECE (Early Childhood Educators) are required to have Standard First Aid and CPR/AED Level C
• Dental Hygienists CPR level BLS
• Electricians Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level A
• Chiropractors Emergency First Aid and CPR/AED Level A or C (dependent on if they have children who visit the office).
• etc.

If you are unsure of what level you require, please email us at info@durhamfirstaid.com and we can assist in getting you the right certification level for your industry.

Every workplace (whether it has only one employee or more) is required to have someone trained in First Aid and onsite. Durham First Aid Inc. suggests you have multiple people trained, to ensure that someone is there to cover breaks, vacation, sick days etc.As per WSIB there is no required ratio of trained first aiders to total employees under Regulation 1101. Workplaces must have at least one person on site at all times who has a valid first aid certificate (according to the number of people working per shift). A first aider should be able to reach an injured person within two minutes.

First Aid Certifications are valid for 3 years. Before expiration, a recertification (renewal course) is require.To qualify for a Standard First Aid & CPR Recertification Course you must meet the following criteria:

• That have a current non expired certification card for the Standard First Aid and CPR/AED level. (Note: due to COVID – 19 all certifications that expired after March 1, 2020 are extended until December 31, 2021, if your card is expired prior to March 1, 2020 you will need to take the full course)
• That the last course you took was a full Standard First Aid course, not a recertification (Current card states “is certified in”).
• That your current certificate was provided by the Canadian Red Cross

Emergency First Aid in Ontario can not be recertified, the full Certification course (6.5-8 hours) must be taken again.

Your CPR is recertified with your First Aid Certification, and will be valid for another three years (Levels A & C).

For Health Care Providers that hold a BLS (Health Care Provider) CPR certification are required to train annually. If you have taken a Standard or an Emergency First Aid and CPR/AED Level BLS course, you will have received 2 certifications one for First Aid and CPR/AED Level C valid for three years, and your BLS valid for only 1 year. You can recertify just the CPR – BLS with no first aid component in a condensed 2-2.5 hour course)

We understand, call us at 905-240-0092 or email info@durhamfirstaid.com and we can help you out.