Ontario Workplace First Aid Kit Requirements: Which Kit for Your Shift Size

In Ontario, the number of workers on your busiest shift, not your total headcount, decides the first aid kit you must keep. Regulation 1101 sets three box sizes: Section 8 for up to 5 workers per shift, Section 9 for 6 to 15, and Section 10 for 16 to 199, with a full first aid room at 200 or more. ERE stocks Dynamic Safety kits built to those lists, plus vehicle and special purpose kits.

In this guide

• Which first aid kit does my Ontario workplace need?
• Does an ERE kit match the Regulation 1101 list?
• What else must a first aid station contain?
• Do vehicles need a first aid kit in Ontario?
• Do the same rules apply outside Ontario?
• How often must a first aid kit be inspected?
• Frequently asked questions

Which first aid kit does my Ontario workplace need?

The one that matches your largest shift. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101, made under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, sets the minimums in sections 8 to 11, and WSIB publishes the requirements for employers it covers.

Workers in any one shift	Regulation section	Required	Person in charge holds
Not more than 5	s. 8	First aid station with a s. 8 box	Emergency First Aid Certificate or equivalent
More than 5, not more than 15	s. 9	First aid station with a s. 9 box	Standard First Aid Certificate or equivalent
More than 15, fewer than 200	s. 10	First aid station with a s. 10 box, plus one stretcher and two blankets	Standard First Aid Certificate or equivalent
200 or more	s. 11	A first aid room, plus a s. 9 box for use at the scene	A registered nurse, or a Standard First Aid holder who does no work that would impair their first aid duty

The person in charge must work in the immediate vicinity of the station (s. 1(2)), and the station must be easy to reach at all times when work is in progress (s. 1(3)). Where one station cannot give prompt treatment, s. 12 requires additional stations.

Does an ERE kit match the Regulation 1101 list?

For the three workplace sizes, the quantities in the Dynamic Safety Ontario First Aid Kits record line up with the regulation's minimum lists. We compared the record's content table with sections 8, 9 and 10 line by line:

Item	Kit A (s. 8)	Kit #1 (s. 9)	Kit #2 (s. 10)
Workers per shift	1 to 5	6 to 15	16 to 199
Adhesive strips (individually wrapped)	12	24	48
Sterile gauze pads, 3 in.	4	12	48
Gauze bandage rolls, 2 in.	2	4	8
Gauze bandage rolls, 4 in.	none	4	8
Sterile pressure bandages, 4 in.	2	4	6
Triangular bandages	1	6	12
Splint padding / splints	none	2 rolls, 1 metal wire splint	2 rolls, set of 4 wood splints
Basin	none	none	1 emesis basin
First aid manual	1	1	1

Two details to check before you order. First, the Kit #2 label reads "16-200 employees", while the regulation moves to a first aid room at 200 or more workers per shift, so a 200-worker shift is a section 11 workplace. Second, the Kit #2 content table in the record lists no stretcher or blankets, which section 10 requires, so treat them as separate items. Ask us to quote them with the kit. Also note that the record uses "pressure bandage" and "metal wire splint" where the regulation says field dressing or surgical pad and roll-up splint; if your inspector is strict on wording, confirm the match with your WSIB contact.

The record lists each kit in plastic box, metal box and softpack formats, and a special TFB configuration, so you can match the box to the environment: a metal box for a shop floor, a plastic wall unit for an office. Kit contents are a minimum. Section 2 requires every item to be in plain view and easy to reach, and in good condition at all times.

What else must a first aid station contain?

A notice board with three things, next to the box. Section 1 requires the station to include:

• The WSIB poster known as Form 82, and s. 3 requires it to be kept posted in other conspicuous places in the workplace as well.
• The valid first aid certificates of the trained workers on duty.
• An inspection card with spaces for the date of the last inspection and the signature of the person who made it.

The employer also carries the cost of first aid appliances and services (s. 4) and must keep a record of every accident: what the injured worker described, the date and time, the witnesses, the nature and location of the injury, and the date, time and nature of each treatment (s. 5). WSIB or its appointees may inspect stations, appliances, services and records (s. 7).

Do vehicles need a first aid kit in Ontario?

Yes, where a vehicle is used to transport workers. Section 13 deems a vehicle used by an employer to transport workers, and a construction, repair or demolition site, to be a place of employment for sections 8 to 11. On a construction site, s. 14 puts the first aid station in the project's time office or, if there is none, in a vehicle or building on site.

ERE carries Dynamic Safety Vehicle First Aid Kits for trucks, cars, school buses and fleets, in plastic, metal or nylon, in contents versions A to G. Note what the record does and does not say: it does not state that these kits meet the section 8 to 10 lists, and versions C to G carry vehicle gear such as matches, candles, rescue blankets and, in F and G, booster cables alongside a smaller medical selection. If a vehicle carrying workers is your place of employment, compare the content column against the section that matches your crew size, or send us the crew size and we will check it against the records. For homes, offices, daycares and pools, the Special Purpose First Aid Kits (contents A to F) are built for non-industrial settings and are not a substitute for a regulation box.

Do the same rules apply outside Ontario?

No. Regulation 1101 is Ontario's. Other provinces and territories set their own kit contents, shift thresholds and training levels through their own workers' compensation or occupational health and safety agencies. CCOHS notes that the equipment and training required depend on the number of workers, the hazards present and the travel distance to a hospital. Tell us the province before you order, so we match the kit to your agency's list and not Ontario's.

How often must a first aid kit be inspected?

At least once every three months. Section 6 requires employers to inspect first aid boxes and their contents at not less than quarter-yearly intervals, and to mark the inspection card with the date and the inspector's signature. In practice:

• Restock what was used the same day, so the box never drops below the section minimum.
• Check expiry dates on sterile dressings and any medications in special purpose kits.
• Keep a spare box for the shift with the most workers, and set a calendar reminder for the quarterly sign-off.

First aid kits sit next to the rest of your injury-prevention equipment. See the First Aid Kits collection, and pair it with an eyewash station, CSA-rated safety glasses and the right spill kit.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What first aid kit do I need for a small Ontario workplace?

If no more than five workers are on any one shift, Regulation 1101 section 8 requires a first aid station with a box holding at minimum a St. John Ambulance first aid manual, 12 adhesive dressings, 4 sterile gauze pads, 2 rolls of 2 inch gauze, 2 four inch field dressings or compresses and 1 triangular bandage, in the charge of a worker with Emergency First Aid.

How many workers need a Section 9 kit?

More than five and not more than fifteen workers in any one shift. Compared with Section 8, the Section 9 box raises the minimums to 24 adhesive dressings and 12 gauze pads, and adds 4 rolls of 4 inch gauze, 6 triangular bandages, splint padding and a roll-up splint.

Is a stretcher required with the first aid kit?

Yes from 16 workers per shift. Section 10 requires one stretcher and two blankets in addition to the first aid station with its box, for workplaces with more than fifteen and fewer than 200 workers per shift.

How often must a first aid box be inspected in Ontario?

At least every three months. Section 6 requires the date and signature of the inspector on the inspection card for each box.

Do I need a first aid kit in a company vehicle?

A vehicle used by an employer to transport workers is deemed a place of employment under section 13, so the section matching the crew size applies. Check the kit's contents against that list.

Do you quote first aid kits across Canada?

Yes. Send the kit type, quantity, province and delivery location through the quote form and we confirm availability.

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Lire en français : Trousses de premiers soins en Ontario : ce qu'exige le Règlement 1101 selon l'effectif