The Department of Homeland Security asked OSHA four questions about first aid for life-threatening bleeding, including in active shooter incidents. On training: for general industry, 29 CFR 1910.151(b) requires first aiders to be adequately trained to render first aid, and OSHA recognizes American Red Cross and American Heart Association training as meeting that bar (a 1978 OSHA-Red Cross agreement deems current Red Cross Basic, Standard, or Advanced First Aid certificate holders adequately trained). Industry-specific standards require Red Cross certification or equivalent for construction (29 CFR 1926.50), shipyards (29 CFR 1915.87), longshoring (29 CFR 1918.97(b)), and commercial diving (29 CFR 1910.410(a)(3)). Per the 2015 AHA/Red Cross guidelines, adequate bleeding-control training must include direct pressure, hemostatic dressings, and tourniquet use when direct pressure does not control severe external limb bleeding.
On supplies: OSHA interprets 'adequate first aid supplies' under 1910.151(b) in line with ANSI Z308.1-2015. General industry workplaces need Class A kit items (bandages, trauma pads, sterile pads for bleeding control), while workplaces with high risk of serious injury need Class B kits, which include tourniquets. OSHA identified construction and shipyards as high-hazard industries that should use Class B kits.
On response times: where serious accidents like falls, suffocation, electrocution, or amputation are possible and no trained first aid employee is on-site, emergency medical services must be available within 3-4 minutes. For serious injuries involving stopped breathing, cardiac arrest, or uncontrolled bleeding, first aid must be provided within the first few minutes to avoid permanent impairment or death. Lower-risk offices may reasonably have up to a 15-minute response time. These are maximums — shorter is encouraged. For active shooter events, OSHA recommends adding procedures to emergency action plans and noted that employees who voluntarily stay behind to help the wounded are performing a protected Good Samaritan act; OSHA has no specific workplace violence standard but recommends prevention programs that include prompt first aid.
OSHA also confirmed that under 29 CFR 1910.151(a) employers must ensure medical personnel are available for advice and consultation, and that where uncontrolled bleeding poses a significant risk, medical consultations should inform training and supply decisions. The agency committed to considering updates to its 2006 First-Aid Program Guide and to promoting the Stop the Bleed campaign through its Red Cross alliance.