First aid for tree crews: what OSHA and HSE say, and two other OSHA sections that sit beside it

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It covers two countries. The guide on first aid rules in California, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and New Zealand covers the rest, and the guide on what a climber carries covers the personal kit.

United States: OSHA 1910.151

OSHA's general industry rule on medical services and first aid has three paragraphs. Paragraph (a) says the employer must make sure medical personnel are readily available for advice and consultation on matters of plant health. Paragraph (b) covers first aid training and supplies: where no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in "near proximity" to the workplace and used for treating all injured employees, a person or persons must be adequately trained to render first aid, and adequate first aid supplies must be readily available. Paragraph (c) covers eyes and bodies exposed to injurious corrosive materials: suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing must be provided within the work area. The wording is on OSHA's rule page.

The rule does not name a course, a provider, a kit list or a refresher interval. OSHA's tree care standards page lists 1910.151 among the general industry standards that apply to tree care.

United Kingdom: the 1981 regulations and HSE

Regulation 3 of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 says an employer must provide equipment and facilities that are "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances" for first aid to be given to employees who are injured or become ill at work. It also says the employer must provide a number of suitable persons that is adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, and that a person is not suitable unless they have the training and qualifications appropriate to the case. The text is on legislation.gov.uk. Where a trained person is absent in temporary and exceptional circumstances, or where the nature of the undertaking, the number of employees and the location make it adequate, the regulation allows an appointed person to take charge instead.

The HSE leaflet

HSE's leaflet First aid at work: your questions answered (INDG214) says the minimum on any work site is a suitably stocked first aid kit, an appointed person to take charge of the arrangements, and information for employees about those arrangements. It describes an appointed person as someone who looks after the equipment and facilities and calls the emergency services, and says an appointed person does not need first aid training. It describes a first-aider as someone trained to the level the needs assessment identifies: first aid at work (FAW), emergency first aid at work (EFAW) or other appropriate training. It says FAW includes the content of EFAW and adds training on specific injuries and illness. It strongly recommends annual refresher training for first-aiders. It says there is no mandatory list of items for a first aid box.

The HSE tree work page

HSE's page on first aid and emergency procedures in tree work (marked 2026-08-11) lists what an assessment takes account of: the nature of the work, the history and consequences of injuries, the workforce, how remote the site is from the emergency services (location, terrain and weather), shared sites, absences of first-aiders, trainees and the public, and medical conditions or allergies. It says a personal kit carried at work should contain at least one or more haemostatic dressings, a tourniquet, a pair of plastic gloves and a resuscitation aid, and that a worksite kit sits at a central location. On emergency procedures it says operators should know their location and be able to give grid references or GPS coordinates and the access points from the main road. It also names the problems of getting to a casualty, such as aerial tree rescue or releasing someone trapped below a tree or heavy equipment. The UK material on this page is summarised from legislation.gov.uk and HSE pages published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Two more OSHA sections on the tree care page

OSHA's tree care standards page lists, besides 1910.151, two general industry sections that bear on daily work. The page lists them; it does not say they are the only ones.

1910.106: flammable liquids

The section is long and written for plants, tank farms and service stations. The parts a crew handling fuel cans meets are its definitions and its container table. It defines a safety can as an approved container of not more than 5 gallons capacity with a spring-closing lid and spout cover, designed to relieve internal pressure safely under fire exposure. Table H-12 sets the largest size allowed for each container type: glass or approved plastic, metal other than DOT drums, and safety cans. The sizes are shown below. The categories are the section's own, and the text of 1910.106 on eCFR gives the definitions.

Category	Glass or plastic	Metal	Safety can
1	1 pint	1 gallon	2 gallons
2	1 quart	5 gallons	5 gallons
3	1 gallon	5 gallons	5 gallons
4	1 gallon	5 gallons	5 gallons

The section is written for industrial settings, and these container sizes sit in its paragraph on container and portable tank storage. It defines Category 1 as liquids with a flashpoint below 73.4 degrees F and a boiling point at or below 95 degrees F. In its industrial plants paragraph, under handling liquids at point of final use, it says Category 1 or 2 liquids, and Category 3 liquids with a flashpoint below 100 degrees F, are kept in covered containers when not in use. It says that within a building these liquids are drawn or transferred only through a closed piping system, from safety cans, by a device drawing through the top, or by gravity through an approved self-closing valve, and that transfer by air pressure on the container is prohibited. The guide on fire and fuel hazards in tree work reports more on fuel.

1910.134: respiratory protection

The respirator section starts from a principle: for diseases caused by breathing contaminated air, the primary objective is to prevent atmospheric contamination by engineering controls as far as feasible, such as enclosing the operation, ventilation and substituting less toxic materials. Where those are not feasible, or while they are being put in place, appropriate respirators are used under the section. The section says a respirator must be provided to each employee when needed to protect health, that the employer provides ones that are applicable and suitable, and that the employer sets up and maintains a respiratory protection program. The other paragraphs the eCFR text names are a written program with a trained administrator (c), medical evaluation (e), fit testing before use of a tight-fitting facepiece and at least annually after (f), training that recurs annually (k), program evaluation (l) and records (m). The wording is on eCFR.

Side by side

Country and rule	What the source says
United States, OSHA 1910.151(b)	"A person or persons" where no clinic is in near proximity, "adequately trained to render first aid". No course named. Refresher interval: Not published in the rule.
United Kingdom, First-Aid Regulations 1981 regulation 3 and HSE INDG214	Suitable persons, or an appointed person in the cases the regulation allows. Training appropriate to the case; FAW or EFAW named in the HSE leaflet. Refresher interval: Annual refreshers strongly recommended in the HSE leaflet.