First Aid Training - Things are not always what they appear to be

As a Safety Professional there are few things that aggravate me. One item that does is misrepresentation by individuals or companies. What follows is a case of "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is".

Recently a client of mine found out that their First Aid training had expired. To ensure that all courses were complete for the audit they are required to have the two day standard first aid course. With a little bit of searching they had found an "online" provider for this service. They forwarded it to me and asked if the online training would meet the requirements.

When I went to the website for "Simple CPR" and started to look at the information I noticed that at the top of the banner it had "Nationally Accepted Including All Canadian Provinces". This must be too good to be true, was my immediate thought. For $19.95 US a person could complete the Standard First Aid training from the comfort of their home.

Contrary to the advertising, this course would not provide you with certification as required in the Alberta OHS legislation. To be a certified provider your course must meet the requirements of the Director of Medical Services for the Gov of AB and they must be on the list at this link: Alberta Government Approved First Aid Trainers

Additionally, consultants and service providers may offer training using course materials developed by a listed, approved agency. In these cases, they may not appear on the list of approved agencies. If a consultant or service provider is not on the list, you can follow these steps to make sure the training qualifies for certification:

1. Find out the name of the approved agency that developed the course.

2. Confirm that a certified instructor will deliver the approved workplace first aid course.

3. Call the approved first aid training agency to verify this information.

4. Ask to see the agency’s signed approval letter from a Director of Medical Services, Alberta Labour and Immigration

My advice is to use a recognized first aid provider certified by the Government of Alberta and on the list at the link above. Unfortunately, many people do not know that they need to look a little deeper to ensure that the training they are taking meets the requirements of the OHS legislation for their province.