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    SiteKiln, Your rights on site. In plain English.

    First Aid: Do You Need a Trained Person On Site?

    The answer turns on how far you are from real medical care, and OSHA has a number in mind that is not in the rule text.

    When you must have a trained first-aider

    • If no infirmary, clinic, hospital or physician is REASONABLY ACCESSIBLE in time and distance, someone on site must hold a valid first-aid certificate. 29 CFR 1926.50(c)
    • OSHA has interpreted 'reasonably accessible' as emergency care reaching you in about 3 to 4 minutes for life-threatening injuries: a fall, electrocution, amputation, stopped breathing.
    • That number is an INTERPRETATION, not text in the rule. It is also the number an inspector will use.
    • The practical test: time an ambulance to your actual gate, not to the nearest hospital as the crow flies.

    Kit, transport and posting

    Supplies Easily accessible, weatherproof container, individually sealed packages
    Checked Before the kit goes out to a job, and at least weekly on the job
    Transport Arranged IN ADVANCE: either equipment to transport an injured person, or a communication system for an ambulance
    Posting Where 911 is unavailable, physician, hospital and ambulance numbers must be conspicuously posted

    Eyewash and drenching

    • Where eyes or body may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, quick-drenching or flushing facilities must be provided WITHIN THE WORK AREA for immediate use. 29 CFR 1926.50(g)
    • The trigger is the presence of the corrosive, not the size of the crew.
    • The detailed expectations people quote (reachable within 10 seconds, roughly 55 ft, minimum flow and duration) come from ANSI Z358.1, a consensus standard. That is not the text of 1926.50.
    The 3 to 4 minute figure is an OSHA interpretation of 'reasonably accessible', not a number written in the standard, and interpretations can be revisited. The number and contents of kits scale with crew size and hazard. State-plan states can set stricter rules and can differ on which certifying bodies they accept. Confirm the real EMS response time to your specific site rather than assuming the figure for the nearest town.

    Sources: osha.gov

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