The goal of Occupational First Aid (OFA) training is to equip workers to identify medical crises that may arise at work and to take the necessary precautions to reduce risks of harm and injury. About 924 employees passed away in 2020 as a result of workplace-related incidents. The training includes treating minor wounds, injuries, sprains, CPR, and handling emergencies.
Being able to administer emergency care is a useful skill because it can assist in decreasing the severity of injuries that occur in the workplace or public. There are three OFA levels. The requirements for every level will be based on the business’s size, the proximity to medical assistance, the industry’s risk level, and the availability of medical care.
Occupational First Aid Level 1
This level is designed for businesses less than twenty minutes away from medical assistance. It includes the fundamentals of keeping a person alive until more trained help comes. The 8-hour course’s content consists of the following:
- Basic cardiac support
- Minor wound care and help with circulation
- Taking care of burns
- Opening up the airways
This is regarded as basic first aid in several professions, such as security, law enforcement, nursing, etc. This course aims to help employees respond to frequent medical situations that might occur in the workplace. Also, employees learn how to take the proper precautions to reduce patient risk, render immediate first aid services, and treat the individual promptly.
Occupational First Aid Level 2
OFA 2 training lasts 36 hours and is spread over five days. It’s intended for urban workers and businesses less than 20 minutes from medical assistance, as well as for any companies that demand OFA 2 certification from their staff. It includes extensive and detailed content. Along with level 1 content, this training also covers:
- Human anatomy
- Brain/head injuries
- Bleeding
- Cardiac arrests
- Resuscitation
All classes should be attended, and homework assignments should be turned in.
Occupational First Aid Level 3
This 72-hour first aid training is spread over two weeks. It’s made for rural and remote employees working on bigger metropolitan worksites like industrial, construction, plants, etc. In this training, the content for Levels 1 and 2 is covered but also:
- Spinal wounds
- Immobilization of limbs
- Transporting patients
Every OFA accreditation is good for three years. To qualify, you must be older than 16, ace a multiple-choice assessment, and complete a technical competency examination at the training’s conclusion. It’s crucial to remember that there isn’t any prerequisite for taking these classes.
Neither completing Levels 1 and 2 nor taking Level 1 before enrolling in Level 3 are requirements. To demonstrate that participants are in appropriate physical condition, Levels 2 and 3 necessitate a “Statement of Fitness.”
It’s important to regularly enroll in workplace safety and first aid training classes to stay on the right side of safety practices and attitudes. At Metro Safety Training, we offer occupational first aid level 1, level 2, level 3, workplace safety training, CPR/AED certification, fall protection, confined space safety, and much more. We provide our services in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam.
Get in touch with us for more information!
