This year alone, about 10,000 Americans will go into cardiac arrest while at work.
Performing CPR right after a person’s heart stops can triple their odds of surviving the event. However, over half of U.S. workers are unable to receive CPR training from their employer.
Are you wondering whether you need to train your employees to do CPR at the office? Keep reading to find out what the laws say about it.

Is Office CPR Training a Requirement?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends (but doesn’t mandate) that a workplace of any size have at least one CPR-trained employee per shift.
What if none of your workers can administer CPR?
In that case, if your workplace has serious hazards, it should be at most 3-4 minutes away from a medical facility. In an office, where life-threatening injuries are rarer, medical services can be up to 15 minutes away.
For some industries, CPR training is mandatory. Here are a few examples of workers that may need CPR training and certification:
- Dental office employees
- Teachers
- Medical personnel
- Electricians
- Law enforcement officers
- Lifeguards
- Divers
- Servers
- Prison staff members
- Firemen
- Personal trainers
- Loggers
- Daycare providers
- Social workers
- Flight attendants
- Construction workers
OSHA violations that have a direct effect on safety can result in punishments ranging from substantial fines to prison time.
Keep this in mind: On average, it takes eight minutes for an ambulance to arrive on the scene. Unfortunately, it can take less than half as much time for a person to experience permanent brain damage without oxygen.
If you don’t have any CPR-trained employees on staff to respond to a heart attack or stroke, death is likely. While the law may not require your employees to know CPR, providing your workers with training improves workplace safety.
What’s the Best Way to Train Your Employees?
By offering CPR training to your employees, you foster a positive work environment. Your employees will know that you care about their well-being, and they’ll be less likely to panic in an emergency situation.
If the OSHA requires your employees to know CPR, courses offered by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross are your best options. Both of these organizations provide in-depth training.
You can also encourage each of your employees to get an online CPR certification.
It’s worth noting that the OSHA doesn’t accept certifications from online courses that lack a classroom component. That said, if you don’t have a medical facility near your workplace, an online CPR course could give you extra peace of mind.
Final Thoughts on Teaching CPR at the Office
As an employer, it’s your duty to figure out what type of first aid training your workers need to have.
Many employers only begin taking CPR training seriously after a devastating event occurs in the office. Don’t let a preventable tragedy strike your workplace before taking action.
Now that you know about the laws concerning teaching CPR at the office, want to learn more about your responsibilities under OSHA? If so, check out our guide on OSHA rules and regulations.
|