Cal/OSHA First Aid and CPR Requirements for California Employers
Cal/OSHA does not require every employee to know CPR. It requires a person adequately trained to render first aid when no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in near proximity (Title 8, section 3400), and a suitable number of trained people on construction sites (section 1512). CPR is required by name only in a few specific federal standards.
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Not legal advice. This guide quotes the rules and links each one; your safety lead or counsel decides how they apply to your sites.
Federal OSHA
Federal OSHA: 1910.151(b) and "near proximity"
For general industry, 29 CFR 1910.151(b) says that in the absence of an infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies must be readily available.
The standard does not give a number of minutes. In a 2007 letter of interpretation, OSHA explains that it has long read near proximity to mean emergency care available within no more than 3 to 4 minutes where serious accidents such as falls or electrocution are possible. In lower-risk settings such as offices, OSHA says a response time of up to 15 minutes may be reasonable.
Source: 29 CFR 1910.151 | OSHA interpretation, March 23, 2007
Federal OSHA
Construction: 1926.50(c)
On construction sites, 29 CFR 1926.50(c) applies when no infirmary, clinic, hospital or physician is reasonably accessible in terms of time and distance to the worksite. Then a person who has a valid certificate in first-aid training from the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the American Red Cross, or equivalent training that can be verified by documentary evidence must be available at the worksite to render first aid.
The word "valid" matters: a certificate has an expiration date, so crews need to renew before it lapses. AHA Heartsaver and Red Cross first aid cards are valid for 2 years.
Source: 29 CFR 1926.50
Federal OSHA
The federal standards that name CPR
A few OSHA standards go beyond first aid and name CPR. Permit-required confined spaces, 29 CFR 1910.146(k)(2)(iii), require rescue team members to be trained in basic first aid and CPR, with at least one member holding a current first aid and CPR certification. Logging operations, 1910.266, carry first-aid and CPR training as a mandatory appendix. Commercial diving, 1910.410(a)(3), requires every dive team member to be trained in CPR and first aid to the American Red Cross standard or equivalent.
Electric power work, 1910.269(b)(1), requires persons with first-aid training on field crews of two or more, and at fixed sites such as substations enough trained persons that each employee exposed to electric shock can be reached within 4 minutes.
Source: 29 CFR 1910.146 | 29 CFR 1910.410 | 29 CFR 1910.269 | OSHA first aid standards list
California
California: Title 8, sections 3400 and 1512
California runs its own plan, and Cal/OSHA's rules sit in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. For general industry, section 3400(b) uses the same test as the federal rule: in the absence of an infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity, used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Section 3400(c) asks for adequate first-aid materials, approved by the consulting physician, readily available on every job.
For construction, section 1512(b) says each employer shall ensure the availability of a suitable number of appropriately trained persons to render first aid. When more than one employer works on a single construction project, the employers may form a pool of trained persons large enough to service their combined workforces.
Source: Title 8, section 3400 | Title 8, section 1512
California
The 2025 first aid rule update: still in progress
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has a rulemaking open on sections 3400 and 1512, focused on first-aid kits: minimum contents, how to choose them, and making kit locations known to employees. The 45-day comment period ran from November 28, 2025 to January 15, 2026, a public hearing was held on January 15, 2026, and modified text went out for comment on May 1, 2026. A Final Statement of Reasons has been posted.
The Final Statement of Reasons lists no changes to subsection 1512(b), the appropriately trained persons rule. When we last checked, we found no adoption vote or effective date, so treat the kit changes as proposed until the Standards Board posts them as adopted.
Source: Final Statement of Reasons (PDF)
Beyond Cal/OSHA
Sector rules outside Cal/OSHA
Dental offices
The Dental Board of California lists BLS as a mandatory renewal course and does not accept online-only BLS. Dental Board CE rules
Teachers
Education Code 44259: preliminary credentials ask for infant, child and adult CPR to AHA or Red Cross standards. Credential CPR summary
High school coaches
CIF lists First Aid and CPR Certification among the primary requirements to coach, with details set by the district. CIF coaching certification
Health studios
Health and Safety Code 104113: every health studio keeps an AED and trains personnel to use it; unstaffed studios train all employees within 30 days of hire. H&S Code 104113
Childcare
Childcare staff have their own state licensing rules for pediatric first aid and CPR. Check the current rule with California Community Care Licensing before you choose a course.
Next steps
What to do next
- 1
Map your sites
For each site and shift, ask how fast an injured employee could reach care. If the answer is not "within minutes", plan for trained people on site.
- 2
Count by shift and area
A person trained on day shift does not cover nights. Many sites train people on every shift and on each floor or yard.
- 3
Pick the course
The rules above are first aid rules, so most crews take Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED. Offices that only want CPR and the AED take Heartsaver CPR AED.
- 4
Keep cards current
AHA and Red Cross cards are valid for 2 years. Training a group together puts every renewal on one date.
We teach these courses at your site: see onsite group CPR training for prices per student and the cities we travel to.
FAQ
Cal/OSHA first aid and CPR: common questions
Is CPR training required by OSHA?
Not for most workplaces. OSHA requires a person adequately trained in first aid when no clinic or hospital is in near proximity (29 CFR 1910.151(b)). CPR is named in specific standards: permit-required confined space rescue, logging and commercial diving. Many employers add CPR and AED anyway, because the same course covers both.
Does Cal/OSHA require first aid training?
Yes, in the same situations as federal OSHA. Title 8 section 3400(b) requires a person or persons adequately trained to render first aid when no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in near proximity. For construction, section 1512(b) requires a suitable number of appropriately trained persons, which employers on one project may pool.
How many employees need first aid training?
Neither section 3400 nor 1910.151 sets a number; section 1512 says a suitable number. OSHA has read near proximity as care within about 3 to 4 minutes where serious injuries can happen. In practice that means enough trained people on every shift and in each work area to reach an injured worker quickly.
Is online-only first aid training accepted for Cal/OSHA?
Section 3400 asks for a person adequately trained and does not name a format, while 1926.50(c) asks for a valid certificate from the Red Cross or verifiable equivalent training. Many employers choose courses with an in-person skills test for that reason. For dental BLS, the Dental Board does not accept online-only courses.
How often must workplace CPR be renewed?
Sections 3400 and 1910.151 do not set a renewal interval in their text. The practical limit is the card: AHA and Red Cross CPR and first aid cards are valid for 2 years, and the construction rule asks for a valid certificate, so plan renewals before cards expire.
Sources
Sources
- Cal/OSHA Title 8, section 3400, Medical Services and First Aid
- Cal/OSHA Title 8, section 1512, Emergency Medical Services
- Standards Board, First Aid 2025 Final Statement of Reasons
- 29 CFR 1910.151, Medical services and first aid
- OSHA letter of interpretation, March 23, 2007
- 29 CFR 1926.50, Medical services and first aid (construction)
- 29 CFR 1910.146, Permit-required confined spaces
- 29 CFR 1910.410, Commercial diving, qualifications of dive team
- 29 CFR 1910.269, Electric power generation, transmission and distribution
- OSHA, Medical and First Aid standards
- Dental Board of California, continuing education
- California Health and Safety Code 104113
- CIF coaching certification
By workplace
Training by type of workplace
Warehouse and construction training
CPR, AED and first aid for distribution floors, yards and job sites, in English or Spanish.
Warehouse and construction trainingDental office training
Onsite AHA BLS for dentists, hygienists and assistants, the course the Dental Board of California lists for license renewal.
Dental office trainingGym and studio staff training
CPR and AED training for trainers and front desk staff, and what California asks of health studios.
Gym and studio staff trainingSchool staff training
Adult, child and infant CPR for teachers, aides and coaches, matched to the credential and coaching rules.
School staff training
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Train your first aid responders onsite
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Onsite classes delivered by the CPR West Covina and CPR Rancho Cucamonga team.
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