Free WorkSafeBC First Aid Checker
What Level of First Aid Does Your Workplace Need?
Answer four quick questions to see which first aid level your BC workplace needs (Basic, Intermediate or Advanced) and how many trained first aid attendants you need on each shift. Then compare Basic and Intermediate first aid below.
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Basic vs Intermediate First Aid
Since November 1, 2024, WorkSafeBC calls the old OFA Levels 1, 2 and 3 Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Here is how the two courses most workplaces need compare.
Basic First Aid
Formerly OFA Level 1
- Length: 8 hours, one day
- Price: from $120 per person on-site
- Typically needed by: smaller workplaces and lower-risk sites
- Covers: scene assessment, CPR and AED, choking and airway emergencies, severe bleeding and shock, wounds, burns and common medical emergencies
- Certificate: valid 3 years, renewed by retaking the course
Intermediate First Aid
Formerly OFA Level 2
- Length: 16 hours, two days in person or a blend of online learning and an in-person practical day
- Price: from $140 per person on-site
- Typically needed by: workplaces with 20+ workers on moderate or high-risk work, or 50+ workers on lower-risk work
- Covers: everything in Basic, plus more in-depth patient assessment, injury management such as fractures and splinting, and first aid records
- Certificate: valid 3 years, renewed by retaking the course
How the Requirements Are Worked Out
- Workers per shift: count the most workers on site at one time, including part-time staff, supervisors and managers.
- Hazard rating: low, moderate or high. WorkSafeBC sets this for your industry, and you will find it on the assessment rate letter WorkSafeBC sends you each year.
- Remote: an ambulance cannot normally reach your site from its base within 30 minutes.
- Less accessible: ambulance personnel cannot safely reach part of the work area, or the workplace is a ferry.
You also need a written first aid assessment for each workplace, reviewed at least every 12 months, and a first aid drill every year. Read our guide: How to Work Out Your BC First Aid Requirements.
Train Your Attendants Without Leaving Work
Clear Health Group is a WorkSafeBC-approved first aid training agency. We deliver Basic and Intermediate first aid at your workplace for groups of 5 or more, with no maximum group size.
This checker is based on Tables 3-1 to 3-4 of Schedule 3-A of BC's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, covering standard, remote and less-accessible workplaces. It is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your requirements with your written first aid assessment and Part 3 of the Regulation.