Online Course · Emergency Response
Basic First Aid Overview: An Online First Aid Course for Employees
The minutes before emergency medical services arrive often decide how an injury turns out. This overview gives every employee the first steps to take for the most common workplace emergencies.
What This Online First Aid Course for Employees Includes
Most people will face a cut, burn, fall or sudden illness at work at some point, whether their own or a coworker's. This online first aid course for employees builds general awareness: how to make the scene safe, how to check a person, when and how to call for help, and simple care for common injuries until trained responders take over.
It is an overview, designed so the whole workforce shares the same basic playbook. Employees who will be designated first aid responders should also complete hands-on, certified training, which we deliver onsite through our AHA CPR, AED and first aid classes.
The First Few Minutes
Learners practise a consistent sequence they can fall back on under stress.
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Check the scene
Look for ongoing hazards such as traffic, electricity, chemicals, machinery or violence before approaching.
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Protect yourself
Use gloves and other barriers from the first aid kit whenever blood or body fluids may be present.
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Check the person
Ask if they are OK, look for responsiveness, normal breathing and severe bleeding.
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Call for help
Call 911 or your site emergency number, send someone for the first aid kit and AED, and give a clear location.
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Give care and stay
Provide the care you are trained for and remain with the person until help arrives.
Conditions Covered in the Overview
| Situation | Key first aid actions |
|---|---|
| Severe bleeding | Firm direct pressure; tourniquet if trained and pressure fails on a limb |
| Burns | Cool thermal burns with clean running water; flush chemical burns per the safety data sheet |
| Choking | Encourage coughing; abdominal thrusts if the person cannot breathe, speak or cough |
| Shock | Keep the person lying down and warm, and get emergency help |
| Sprains and suspected fractures | Keep the area still and supported; do not try to straighten it |
| Heat illness | Move to shade, cool the person and call 911 for confusion or collapse |
| Fainting, seizures, diabetic emergencies | Protect from injury, monitor breathing and get help |
Cardiac arrest is introduced here and covered in detail in our CPR course.
First Aid and OSHA
OSHA's medical services and first aid standard, 29 CFR 1910.151, requires employers to have a person or persons adequately trained to render first aid when there is no infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace. It also requires adequate first aid supplies and, where corrosive materials are used, suitable facilities for flushing the eyes and body.
OSHA generally expects that adequate first aid training includes hands-on practice. An online overview is a strong foundation for all staff, and many employers use it that way, but it does not replace a skills-based certification for designated responders.
Who Should Take It
- All employees, as a baseline so anyone can start the response
- Supervisors and shift leads who coordinate the first minutes of an emergency
- Workers at remote sites, job sites and facilities far from a hospital
- Office, retail and hospitality staff who may help customers or guests
- Designated responders preparing for or refreshing hands-on certification
Rolling Out First Aid Awareness
Assign the overview online to everyone and use the completion records to show coverage. Then decide who your designated responders are on each shift and schedule them for hands-on training. Walk employees to the actual locations of first aid kits, AEDs and eyewash stations so the course connects to your building.
For uncontrolled bleeding, which can become life-threatening within minutes, many employers add Stop the Bleed training, which we teach as part of our HSI-backed curriculum.
Basic First Aid FAQs
Will I receive an AHA first aid card from this online course?
No. This is an awareness course with an online completion record. An AHA certification card requires a hands-on skills session, which we provide in person.
Am I protected if I help someone?
Every state has Good Samaritan laws that offer some protection to people who give reasonable emergency help in good faith. Details vary by state, so follow your training and act within it.
What should be in our first aid kit?
OSHA points employers to the ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 standard for minimum kit contents. Your kit should also reflect your specific hazards.