Read Length: 7 min

The Biggest Change to BC First Aid Rules in Nearly Two Decades

On November 1, 2024, British Columbia’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation changed the way workplace first aid is structured across the province. The amendments, made under B.C. Reg. 132/2023, retired the familiar Occupational First Aid (OFA) Level 1, 2, and 3 designations and replaced them with three new levels aligned to national Canadian Standards Association standards: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced First Aid.

For employers in Metro Vancouver and New Westminster, this is not just a naming change. Course lengths changed, kit requirements changed, and every employer in the province now carries a documentation obligation that did not exist before. The transition period is generous, but it is finite — and the final deadline is closer than most businesses realize.

• OFA Level 1 is now Basic First Aid
• OFA Level 2 is now Intermediate First Aid
• OFA Level 3 is now Advanced First Aid
• Training now follows the CSA Z1210 standard for workplace first aid

What Actually Changed for Your Team

The most practical change is course duration. The Intermediate course, which replaced OFA Level 2, dropped from five days to two days of initial certification training. That is a significant reduction in cost and lost work time for employers who need mid-level coverage. Basic and Advanced First Aid remained largely similar in content and length.

Beyond training, employers now face two new obligations. Every workplace must complete and document a written first aid assessment, and employers must run first aid drills annually and whenever procedures change substantially. Both requirements apply regardless of company size.

• Intermediate First Aid: five days reduced to two days
• Written first aid assessment now mandatory for every workplace
• Annual first aid drills now required
• First aid kits must meet CSA Z1220 standards with BC-specific additions

The November 2027 Deadline

Existing OFA certificates were not cancelled. Active OFA Level 1, 2, and 3 certificates are recognized as equivalent to Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced and remain valid until their natural expiry date. Because certificates run three years from the date of issue, the latest possible expiry for a grandfathered OFA certificate is November 2027.

That creates a predictable wave. Every attendant still holding an OFA certificate will need to recertify under the new CSA-aligned system at some point before that date. Employers who plan ahead can stagger recertification across their team rather than losing coverage all at once. Employers who wait will be competing for course seats alongside everyone else in the region.

• Check the issue date on every attendant certificate in your organization
• Build a recertification calendar rather than renewing reactively
• Update safety documentation to use the new level names
• Confirm your first aid assessment is complete and on file

Mini FAQ

Q: Is my OFA Level 1 certificate still valid? Yes. It is recognized as equivalent to Basic First Aid until its expiry date, up to November 2027.

Q: Do I need to retrain everyone immediately? No. Recertify as certificates expire, but plan the sequence in advance.

Q: Where can I confirm the requirements for my specific workplace? WorkSafeBC publishes the current requirements and an assessment worksheet, and their Prevention Information Line can answer employer questions directly.

Key Takeaways

• BC replaced OFA Levels 1, 2, and 3 with Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced on November 1, 2024
• Intermediate First Aid is now a two-day course instead of five
• Existing OFA certificates stay valid until expiry, with the last possible expiry in November 2027
• Every BC employer now needs a documented first aid assessment and annual drills