OSHA’s first aid cabinet requirements come from 29 CFR 1910.151(b), which tells employers to keep adequate first aid supplies readily available and to have at least one trained responder on site whenever a hospital or clinic is not close enough to treat injuries promptly.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 – Medical Services and First Aid The rule does not list specific items. To fill that gap, OSHA points employers to the consensus standard ANSI/ISEA Z308.1, and the current 2021 edition sets the contents most inspectors expect to see in a compliant cabinet.2Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 App A – First Aid Kits (Non-Mandatory)
The Rule That Governs Your Cabinet
Section 1910.151(b) is a performance standard. It tells you the outcome (adequate supplies, trained personnel, quick access) and leaves the specifics to you. That flexibility cuts both ways: you get to tailor the kit to your workplace, and you carry the burden of proving what you chose was in fact adequate for the hazards present.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 – Medical Services and First Aid
Construction sites follow a parallel rule at 29 CFR 1926.50 that adds two teeth the general industry rule lacks: kits must be checked before being sent out on a job and at least weekly on site, and the trained provider must hold a valid certificate from the American Red Cross, the former U.S. Bureau of Mines, or an equivalent program.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1926.50 – Medical Services and First Aid
Minimum Contents by Kit Class
ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021 divides workplace kits into two classes based on the severity of injuries likely at the site. Class A covers common minor injuries and fits lower-risk settings like offices and retail. Class B is built for manufacturing, warehousing, construction, and other environments where serious injuries are foreseeable.
Class A Kit
- Adhesive bandages: 16
- Adhesive tape: 1 roll
- Antibiotic ointment: 10 single-use applications
- Antiseptic wipes: 10
- Breathing barrier for CPR: 1
- Burn dressing, gel-soaked: 1
- Burn treatment: 10 applications
- Cold pack: 1
- Eye and skin wash: 1 fluid ounce total
- Hand sanitizer: 6 applications
- Medical exam gloves: 2 pairs
- Roller bandage, 2-inch: 1
- Sterile pads: 2
- Trauma pads: 2
- Triangular bandage: 1
- Foil emergency blanket: 1
Class B Kit
Class B contains everything in Class A at higher counts, plus three items Class A does not require: a 4-inch roller bandage, a splint, and a tourniquet. Quantities scale up meaningfully: 50 adhesive bandages instead of 16, 50 antiseptic wipes instead of 10, and four pairs of gloves instead of two.
Treat these lists as the floor. If your workers face hazards the ANSI baseline was not built around, add to the kit. A site where severe lacerations or amputations are foreseeable should carry tourniquets and hemostatic dressings even if a Class A classification would otherwise fit.
Bloodborne Pathogen Gear and OTC Medications
Anyone who renders first aid can contact blood or other infectious materials, and the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1030 requires employers to provide protective equipment at no cost when occupational exposure exists. At minimum, kits should include gloves, face and eye protection, and a pocket mask or other ventilation device for rescue breathing.4eCFR. 29 CFR 1910.1030 – Bloodborne Pathogens The ANSI list already covers gloves and a CPR barrier, but workplaces with designated first aid responders often need to supplement with gowns, additional eye protection, and disposal bags.
Employers who designate specific employees as first aid providers must offer those workers the hepatitis B vaccine before exposure occurs. A narrow exception exists for collateral-duty responders who only react to unexpected incidents at the location where an injury happens, and even that exception requires the exposure control plan to lay out procedures for offering the vaccine after any incident involving blood.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hepatitis B Vaccination Requirements for Employees Providing First Aid
Aspirin and ibuprofen come up constantly. Federal OSHA does not prohibit stocking non-prescription pain relievers, and OSHA’s recordkeeping rules treat OTC medications at standard doses as first aid rather than medical treatment.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.7 – General Recording Criteria Some states restrict employers from actually dispensing medications, and handing out pills carries liability the packet itself does not. The safer path is individually wrapped single-dose packets that employees can take on their own, with no supervisor administering them.
Trained Responders and What “Readily Available” Means
A stocked cabinet is only half the requirement. At least one employee must be trained in first aid on site when emergency medical care is not close by.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 – Medical Services and First Aid General industry does not mandate a specific certifying body. Construction does, requiring Red Cross, Bureau of Mines, or equivalent certification.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1926.50 – Medical Services and First Aid
Certifications from the Red Cross and American Heart Association typically expire after two years. OSHA’s best practices guide recommends CPR and AED retraining at least annually because those skills fade faster than people expect, and certain standards for confined-space work, logging, and electric power operations set their own training frequencies.7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program (OSHA 3317)8Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Frequency of Refresher Training for First Aid and CPR
“Readily available” and “near proximity” translate into response time. OSHA has interpreted the rule to mean emergency care must reach an injured worker within three to four minutes where serious injuries like falls, amputations, electrocution, or uncontrolled bleeding are possible. In lower-risk settings such as ordinary offices, up to 15 minutes is considered reasonable.9Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Requirements for Providing Training for First Aid, CPR, and BBP for Prompt Treatment of Injured Employees at Various Workplaces Those windows apply to reaching supplies as much as reaching the worker. A single cabinet rarely satisfies the standard across a multi-story building or a large campus; elevator availability, stair travel time, and communications between floors all factor into whether more kits and more trained responders are needed.10Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Emergency Medical Services on Construction Sites
Mount kits at accessible height, keep the path clear, and mark the location with visible signage. Signage is not spelled out in 1910.151, but it is a practical requirement for meeting “readily available.”
Inspection, Restocking, and Documentation
A cabinet missing half its supplies or full of expired ointment is not adequate. Construction employers must inspect kits before each job and at least weekly thereafter under 1926.50(d)(2), replacing anything used.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1926.50 – Medical Services and First Aid General industry has no fixed schedule in the regulation, but OSHA’s best practices guide recommends assigning a specific person to manage supplies, reassessing inventory against actual use, and keeping the whole program in writing.7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program (OSHA 3317) Monthly checks are common in low-risk settings; weekly reviews suit higher-risk sites.
Every inspection should confirm each required item is present, that sterile supplies and medications remain in date, and that anything used or damaged has been replaced. Write it down. A running inspection log is strong evidence of compliance if OSHA arrives.
Eyewash Stations and AEDs: Related but Separate
Two items readers often assume live inside the first aid cabinet actually sit outside it. Where employees can be exposed to corrosive chemicals, 29 CFR 1910.151(c) requires quick-drench facilities or eyewash stations installed within the immediate work area. The 1 fluid ounce of eyewash in a Class A kit does not substitute for a plumbed station.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 – Medical Services and First Aid
Automated external defibrillators are not required by any OSHA standard, in general industry or construction. OSHA does encourage them and treats every worksite as a potential candidate for an AED program because cardiac arrest can happen anywhere.11Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program (OSHA 3317) If you install one, coordinate with a supervising physician, comply with state and local AED laws, register the device with local EMS, and train enough employees to cover every shift.
Penalties for Falling Short
OSHA adjusts civil penalties for inflation each year. As of January 2025, a serious or other-than-serious violation can bring a fine of up to $16,550, and a willful or repeated violation up to $165,514 per violation.12U.S. Department of Labor. US Department of Labor Announces Adjusted OSHA Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025 Multi-site employers can be cited separately for each location.
A missing kit in a quiet office may draw an other-than-serious citation. The same gap on a construction site or manufacturing floor is far more likely to be classified as serious, and evidence that management knew and did nothing can push it into willful territory. About half the states run their own OSHA-approved plans, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and sometimes impose additional requirements. Confirm your obligations under both the federal baseline and any state plan that covers you.13Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Medical and First Aid – Standards