OSHA CPR and first aid requirements for workplaces
What the standards actually say, plainly, with no filler.
OSHA does not publish one single "CPR requirement" that applies to every employer the same way. Instead, a handful of standards combine to set the bar: a general first-aid rule that covers most workplaces, a matching rule for construction, and a short list of industries where CPR training is named directly. This page walks through each one and where certification fits. As with any compliance question, confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
What OSHA actually requires
The rule most employers actually fall under is 29 CFR 1910.151, OSHA's general industry standard for Medical Services and First Aid. It says that in the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace, a person or persons must be adequately trained to render first aid. It also requires that first-aid supplies be readily available.
Two words carry most of the weight there: "near proximity" and "adequately trained." OSHA does not draw a hard line on either one, on purpose, because a rural warehouse and a downtown office tower face very different realities for how fast outside help can arrive. That is why the standard leans on trained personnel rather than a fixed distance or a checklist.
Construction employers work under the parallel standard, 29 CFR 1926.50, which sets the same basic expectation for job sites: first-aid trained personnel are required when the site is not close to an accessible medical facility. The logic is the same as 1910.151, applied to a construction environment.
Neither standard hands employers a script. They describe an outcome, trained people and available supplies, and leave the specifics of how to get there up to the employer. That is exactly the gap that certification programs like AHA Heartsaver and Red Cross First Aid CPR AED are built to close. Confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
Which industries have explicit CPR requirements
Most of general industry works under the broad language of 1910.151 above. A smaller set of OSHA standards go further and name CPR training directly, because the work itself carries a higher risk of cardiac or respiratory emergencies.
29 CFR 1910.269
Covers electric power generation, transmission, and distribution work. Given the risk of electrical contact injuries, this standard calls out CPR training specifically for qualified employees on these crews.
29 CFR 1910.266
Covers logging operations. Because crews often work far from immediate medical help, this standard also names CPR training directly rather than leaving it to the general first-aid language alone.
There is one more standard worth knowing even though it is not a CPR rule on its own: 29 CFR 1910.1030, the bloodborne pathogens standard. Any employee who is expected to render first aid as part of their job duties, not just as a bystander, may trigger bloodborne pathogens protections and training considerations under this rule. That commonly comes up for designated workplace responders, security staff, or anyone whose job description includes responding to medical emergencies.
Outside of these named standards, most employers, offices, schools, daycares, gyms, restaurants, and retail, are working from the general expectation in 1910.151 rather than an industry-specific CPR mandate. Confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
How many employees should be trained
OSHA does not specify a fixed number or percentage of employees who must hold certification. There is no rule that says, for example, one trained responder per ten employees. Instead, the standards describe an outcome: enough trained people that help can respond within minutes, on every shift, at every location.
In practice, that means the right headcount depends on your schedule, not a formula. A business with one shift and low turnover might be covered with two or three certified staff. A business that runs multiple shifts, has seasonal turnover, or spreads employees across separate floors or buildings usually needs certified responders on each shift and each location so nobody is ever working without one.
A reasonable working standard most employers land on: someone certified is on-site and reachable within a few minutes at all times the business is operating. Confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
Do we need AED training
OSHA does not require employers in general workplaces to own or train on an AED. Federal OSHA's position is that AEDs are recommended, not mandated, and it encourages employers to consider one as part of a broader emergency response plan.
State and local law is a different story. A number of states require AEDs, and AED-trained staff, in specific facility types, most commonly health clubs and gyms, schools, and some large public assembly venues. Those rules vary by state and sometimes by city, so a requirement that applies to a gym in one state may not apply to the same business type in another.
Because of that patchwork, most employers who train staff in first aid and CPR add AED training at the same time, even where it is not strictly required. It is a small addition to the class and closes the gap if state or local law changes, or already applies to your facility type. Confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
Which course satisfies the requirement
OSHA does not name a specific certification brand. What the standard cares about is that the person is adequately trained, and in practice, a recognized certification card is how employers document that. For most non-clinical workplaces, that means one of two courses.
AHA Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED and Red Cross Adult and Pediatric First Aid CPR AED are the two courses built for general workplaces: offices, schools, daycares, gyms, restaurants, retail, and construction or job sites. Both cover first aid for common injuries, adult and pediatric CPR, and AED use, and both produce a certification card that satisfies the "adequately trained" language in 1910.151 for a typical non-clinical employer.
Healthcare and clinical staff are the exception. If your team provides direct patient care, hospitals, clinics, dental practices, urgent care, home health, they typically need AHA BLS Provider certification instead. BLS covers higher-acuity, team-based resuscitation skills that a general first-aid course does not, and it is the standard clinical employers, and accrediting bodies, expect to see on staff records.
Certification cards from either track are typically valid for two years, so renewal is a recurring, not one-time, line item once your team is certified. Confirm with OSHA or your safety officer for your specific situation.
Getting your team certified onsite
CPR Syndicate runs onsite group training in 12 metro areas, so meeting OSHA's "adequately trained" expectation does not mean sending staff off-site or losing a day of coverage.
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Instructors travel to offices, schools, daycares, gyms, and job sites across our 12 metro service areas, working around shift schedules so a class never has to shut down a full crew at once. See onsite workplace CPR training for the full program and to find your metro.
OSHA Compliance Questions, Answered
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