Employers · construction · manufacturing · warehousing
How many first aiders does your workplace legally need?
The certification you need
Depends on workers per shift: Basic at five or fewer, Intermediate above that
Regulation 1101 sets the level by the number of workers on any one shift. It does not set a CPR level, and it does not set a ratio of first aiders to staff.
Almost every Ontario employer is working to the same rule, and most of them are working to a version of it they have half-remembered from a safety talk. The rule is Regulation 1101, it is administered by the WSIB, and it is shorter and more specific than people expect.
The single thing to get right: the certificate level is set by how many workers are on any one shift, not your total payroll. A 60-person plant running three shifts of 20 is assessed as a 20-worker shift three times over, not as a 60-worker workplace.
Requirements change and can vary by employer, site and role, so always confirm what yours asks for before booking. Not sure? Call us at 705-985-3478 or send us a message, and we’ll work it out with you.
Your course
Intermediate First Aid & CPR
Intermediate First Aid & CPR is the level Regulation 1101 requires once more than five workers are on a shift. If you have five or fewer, Basic First Aid & CPR ($99 + HST) is the level the regulation names.
Price
$138 + HST
Online at home
9 hours
In class with us
7.5 hours
CPR level
A, C or BLS
What does A, C or BLS mean? The three CPR levels, and who each one is for.
The online part is required and must be finished before your in-class day.
Pick a date and book
Booking is subject to our course policies: refunds, date changes, photo ID and what to bring on the day.
What the requirement actually says
- Five or fewer workers on a shift (s. 8): the first aid station must be in the charge of a worker who holds a valid first aid certificate at the level now named Basic First Aid, and who works in the immediate vicinity. The section names a St. John Ambulance certificate "or its equivalent".
- More than five workers on a shift (ss. 9 and 10): the certificate named is the higher one, now called Intermediate First Aid, again "or its equivalent". Section 9 covers more than five and up to fifteen; section 10 covers more than fifteen and fewer than 200, and adds a stretcher and blankets.
- 200 or more workers on a shift (s. 11): a dedicated first aid room is required, staffed by someone holding at least the Intermediate-level certificate.
- The words "or its equivalent" are what let a certificate from any WSIB-approved provider satisfy the regulation. You are not required to train with St. John Ambulance.
- Construction sites are expressly deemed a place of employment (s. 13), and where a general contractor is in charge of the work, s. 15 puts the first aid station duty on that contractor.
- Transport is easy to miss: s. 16(3) requires an employer whose workers transport goods outside an urban area to equip the vehicle with a first aid kit, regardless of the headcount tiers. Sections 16(2), (4), (5) and (6) add kits for worker-transport vehicles, heavy equipment, buses and railway units.
Source: R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101 (First Aid Requirements), administered by the WSIB under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Sections 8, 9, 10 and 11 set the tiers; s. 13 deems construction sites and worker-transport vehicles to be places of employment; s. 15 puts the duty on the general contractor; s. 16 adds vehicle and goods-transport kits.
Check it yourself
- R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101: First Aid Requirements, the regulation itself, written before the 2026 course names
- WSIB: First Aid Program, the renaming, the tiers, and confirmation that CSA Z1220 kits are accepted
- WSIB: Find your first aid training provider, check any provider's approval yourself
- O. Reg. 213/91: Construction Projects, s. 27.1, the defibrillator duty added 1 January 2026
The three things employers get wrong
First, the threshold is "more than five workers". At exactly five, section 8 applies and Basic First Aid is enough. Plenty of sites round this to "five or more" and buy the wrong course. Second, there is no required ratio: the WSIB states there is no set number of trained first aiders per employee, only that someone qualified is in charge of the station at all times work is in progress, though a station that cannot be reached quickly across a large site will need more than one. Third, Regulation 1101 never mentions CPR, AEDs or a CPR level; the WSIB accepts CPR-A, B, C or Healthcare Provider as the CPR component, so your CPR level is an employer decision, not a legal one.
Ontario workplaces: common questions
Does Regulation 1101 apply to my business?
It applies to businesses covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. That is most Ontario employers and effectively all of construction, but not everyone. Some industries sit outside compulsory WSIB coverage, and federally regulated operations such as interprovincial trucking, rail and marine fall under federal rules instead. If you are not certain your business is WSIA-covered, confirm with the WSIB before deciding which tier applies to you.
We have 40 staff but never more than 4 on a shift. Which level do we need?
Section 8 applies to each of those shifts, so Basic First Aid & CPR is the certificate the regulation names. Count conservatively, though: the WSIB says first aid requirements apply to all employees regardless of employment status, and there is no published rule on how agency staff, contractors or visiting drivers count toward "workers in any one shift". If a shift can tip over five, train to the Intermediate level.
Do we need an AED?
Regulation 1101 does not require one. The word does not appear in it. But since 1 January 2026, O. Reg. 213/91 s. 27.1 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act does require a defibrillator on a construction project where twenty or more workers are regularly employed and the work is expected to last three months or more, and s. 27.1(9) requires a worker trained in CPR and defibrillator operation to be present at all times work is in progress. If that describes your project, pick a CPR level delivered with AED training. All of ours are.
What happens if we don't comply?
Regulation 1101 itself contains no fine. The consequence named in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act is that the WSIB may take first aid compliance into account when adjusting your premiums, and a contravention of a regulation made under that Act is an offence, though prosecution requires the WSIB's written consent. Construction is different: the defibrillator duty sits under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, is enforced by Ministry inspectors, and carries that Act's penalties. Be sceptical of first aid companies quoting large fines for Regulation 1101 breaches. Those figures come from a different statute.
Who pays for the training?
The WSIB's position is that a covered employer bears the cost of first aid provision, including training designated first aiders and their wages while they complete an approved program. There is one carve-out worth knowing: where an employer makes first aid certification a condition of being hired, the applicant pays for their own training.
Can we just buy a CSA first aid kit?
Yes. The regulation lists box contents by tier, but the WSIB states that businesses can also meet Regulation 1101 by providing kits meeting the CSA Z1220 workplace first aid kit standard. You still need the trained person in charge of the station, because the kit does not replace them.
Training more than one person?
We’ll run the course at your site on a date that suits your operation, or host your group at our Barrie centre. Group pricing starts at six people, and a smaller group is welcome at that rate. One invoice for the lot.