Scenario 1
A worker has a deep cut. The attendant says an ambulance should take them. The supervisor wants to drive them in the crew truck to save time. Who decides?
Tool 1 of 7 · First aid roles and responsibilities
Know your role
Everyone on a BC worksite has a part in first aid. Pick your role to see your duties as a checklist, with what the law requires kept separate from what WSBC recommends.
Checked against WSBC on September 25, 2026 · Read the WSBC source page ↗
I am a…
Your role
Employer
The business that employs the workers. You hold the legal duty for first aid, even when you hand tasks to someone else.
16required by law6WSBC guidance
“Workplace health and safety is an employer's responsibility. This includes providing first aid services at your workplace.”
Assess and provide
Attendants
Procedures and drills
Records and reporting
Support the program
Who’s in charge when someone gets hurt
The attendant has full authority over the first aid until someone qualified takes over. Not the supervisor, not the site boss.
- 1Worker reportsTo their supervisor and the attendant, as soon as possible.
- 2Attendant takes chargeFull authority over the first aid, with the worker's consent.
- 3Care is accepted by…A hospital or clinic, an ambulance crew, or someone with equal or higher certification.
- 4…or the worker goes back to workIf the attendant decides they can, and the worker agrees.
Test yourself: who decides?
Six calls that come up on real sites. Pick an answer to see the rule behind it.
Scenario 2
An intermediate attendant has started treating a worker. A basic attendant arrives and offers to take over so the intermediate can get back to work. Can they hand over?
Scenario 3
After first aid for a sprained wrist, the worker says they'd rather see their own doctor tomorrow instead of going to the walk-in clinic today. Can the attendant insist on the clinic?
Scenario 4
The site's only attendant calls in sick at the start of a 12-hour shift. What's expected?
Scenario 5
You're a subcontractor on a big site. The prime contractor runs a first aid station. Is your first aid covered?
Scenario 6
The attendant is also the site's loader operator, and the loader is 20 minutes' walk from the crew. Is that OK?
These materials contain information that has been derived from information originally made available by the Province of British Columbia at: http://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca and this information is being used in accordance with the King's Printer Licence – British Columbia available at: https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/standards/Licence.html. They have not, however, been produced in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of, the Province of British Columbia and THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT AN OFFICIAL VERSION.