An Honest Note on Hands-On Skills
This is an online overview. It builds understanding and confidence, but it cannot verify that you can apply a dressing, splint or tourniquet correctly. Many employers, certifying organizations and jurisdictions expect an in-person skills session before they recognize someone as a designated first aid responder. Check what your employer requires and plan the practical part separately.
Add the CPR & AED course →What the Lessons Cover
Scene first
Before stepping in, check for swinging loads, energized lines, traffic and unstable ground. A second victim helps nobody.
Calling for help
When to activate EMS, what details dispatchers need, and how to direct responders to a gate or pad that isn't on the map.
Bleeding and burns
Direct pressure, dressings, and burn care dos and don'ts.
Sprains and fractures
Basic immobilization and the movements to avoid.
Shock
Recognizing the signs and keeping the person stable while help is on the way.
Your role
Consent, limits of first aid, and a clean handoff to professional care.
Course Objectives
Assess an emergency scene for hazards before giving care
Provide basic care for bleeding, burns, sprains and shock
Recognize medical emergencies that need immediate professional response
Explain consent and when to hand off to EMS
Where OSHA Expects First Aid Coverage
In general industry, 29 CFR 1910.151 says that when there is no infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace, a person adequately trained to render first aid must be available. Construction has a parallel requirement in 1926.50. What counts as "adequately trained" and "near proximity" depends on your site and conditions, so employers set the details.
Because cuts and crush injuries come with handling rigging and steel, many crane and rigging contractors designate at least one trained responder per crew. This overview prepares those people with the background; employers decide whether additional hands-on certification is needed. For blood exposure risks during care, add bloodborne pathogens training.
Supervisors who write the site emergency plan should also make sure the first aid kit, eyewash and AED locations are known to every crew member — and to subcontractors who arrive mid-job.
Who Takes It
- Crew leads on remote jobs
- Riggers and signal persons
- Shop and yard supervisors
- Designated first aid responders
- Office and dispatch staff
Employer responsibility
Employers choose who is designated, keep first aid supplies stocked, and arrange any skills practice or recertification their program calls for.