California First Aid Kit Requirements Under Cal/OSHA

California first aid kit requirements come from two separate regulatory tracks. Cal/OSHA governs workplaces under Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, and the California Highway Patrol sets standards for school buses, youth buses, farm labor vehicles, and general public paratransit vehicles under Title 13. Employers must keep physician-approved or ANSI Z308.1-compliant supplies readily available on every job, and vehicle operators in the four covered categories must carry a properly stocked kit that is visible, accessible, and plainly marked. Failing to meet the workplace rule can cost up to $25,000 per serious violation.

The Core Workplace Rule

Section 3400 of Title 8 requires every employer to provide “adequate first-aid materials, approved by the consulting physician, readily available for employees on every job.”¹ The regulation doesn’t lock in a single contents list because a desk job and a chemical plant don’t face the same risks. Each employer either has a consulting physician approve the kit’s contents for the specific workplace or follows the ANSI Z308.1 standard, which Cal/OSHA uses as its benchmark.²

Kits must stay sanitary, and inspections need to happen often enough to catch used or expired items and replace them.¹ On large sites, multi-floor buildings, and spread-out worksites, one kit rarely covers the ground. Add kits so that no employee has to travel far or navigate obstacles to reach one, mark the locations, and keep access clear during the workday.

Minimum Contents Under ANSI Z308.1

A basic workplace kit meeting the ANSI Z308.1 floor Cal/OSHA references must contain at least the following:³

16 adhesive bandages, 1″ x 3″
1 roll of adhesive tape, 5 yards total
10 antiseptic applications, 0.5g each
6 burn treatment applications, 0.5g each
1 absorbent compress, at least 32 square inches
4 sterile pads, 3″ x 3″
1 triangular bandage, 40″ x 40″ x 56″
2 pairs of medical exam gloves

That is the floor. Higher-risk workplaces need more. Anywhere corrosive chemicals could reach the eyes or body, the employer must also provide emergency drenching or flushing equipment within the immediate work area, under both federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA.⁴

Construction Sites

Construction employers work under Section 1512 of Title 8, which is stricter. Every project must have at least one first aid kit in a weatherproof container, inspected regularly and restocked promptly. Contents can be set by a licensed physician or drawn from the table in Section 1512 itself, which goes beyond the basic ANSI kit to include an eye dressing packet, portable oxygen with breathing equipment, tongue depressors, and a current first aid textbook or manual.⁵ Line crews and other transient job crews are held to the same rule.

Agricultural Operations

Section 3439 of Title 8 puts a heavier obligation on agricultural employers. First aid materials must be immediately available at farm headquarters or on the buses that transport workers. When a traveling foreman visits crews spread across a wide area, a kit in the foreman’s vehicle satisfies the requirement. At remote locations, the employer must arrange for prompt medical attention when serious injuries happen, and at least one employee for every 20 workers at a remote site must be trained in emergency first aid.⁶

Trained Personnel on Site

A stocked kit is only half the rule. Section 3400 requires that when no infirmary, clinic, or hospital is nearby, at least one person on site must be trained in first aid, and that training must meet American Red Cross or Mine Safety and Health Administration standards.¹

Bloodborne Pathogen Additions

Workplaces where employees could be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials fall under federal bloodborne pathogen standards. The employer must provide appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, and eye protection, along with disinfectants for cleaning surfaces after a spill. Broken glass in a contaminated area has to be picked up with mechanical tools like a brush and dustpan, not by hand.⁷

AEDs Are Encouraged, Not Required

Automated external defibrillators are not currently required in most California workplaces. OSHA does promote readily available AEDs and publishes guidance for setting up workplace programs and locating qualified training.⁸ Federal law also gives significant liability protection to anyone who uses or attempts to use an AED on a person experiencing a perceived medical emergency, with exceptions for willful misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless behavior. For the employer, that immunity depends on properly maintaining and testing the device, notifying local emergency responders where it sits, and training employees expected to use it.⁹

Vehicle Kits: School Buses, Youth Buses, Farm Labor Vehicles, and GPPVs

Title 13, Section 1243 requires first aid kits on four vehicle categories: school buses, youth buses, farm labor vehicles, and general public paratransit vehicles. Each kit must be readily visible, accessible, and plainly marked.¹⁰ Private passenger vehicles are not covered.

Kit size scales with passenger capacity. A school bus for 1 to 16 passengers needs a 10-unit kit, one for 17 to 42 passengers needs a 16-unit kit, and one for 43 or more needs a 24-unit kit. Youth buses and farm labor vehicles each need a 10-unit kit regardless of capacity.¹¹ Required items include:

Adhesive compresses, 1″, 1 to 2 depending on bus size
Bandage compresses in 2″, 3″, and 4″, 1 to 2 of each
Plain gauze pads, 3″ x 3″, quantity 1
Gauze roller bandages, 2″ x 6 yards, 1 to 2
Plain absorbent gauze, ½ square yard and 24″ x 72″, quantity varies by bus size
Triangular bandages, 40″, 1 to 4
Scissors and tweezers, 1 set
Eye dressing packet, required only on buses with 43 or more passenger capacity

Drivers are responsible for keeping the kit stocked. Kits that met the former U.S. Department of Transportation bus regulations remain acceptable under Section 1243.¹¹

Penalties for Noncompliance

Cal/OSHA enforces workplace first aid rules through inspections triggered by routine scheduling, employee complaints, or accident investigations. A serious violation — one that creates a substantial probability of death or serious harm — carries a civil penalty of up to $25,000 under California Labor Code Section 6428.¹² General and regulatory violations, such as recordkeeping or posting failures, can reach $16,285 per violation. Willful violations run from a minimum of $11,632 to a maximum of $162,851.¹³ These figures adjust periodically, so check the current Cal/OSHA schedule.

The California Highway Patrol enforces the vehicle rules during inspections. Failing to comply with CHP rules adopted under Vehicle Code Sections 34501 and 34501.5 is a misdemeanor under Section 34506.¹⁴ A missing or depleted kit that contributes to a worsened injury can also expose the operator to civil liability.

When Treatment Crosses the “First Aid” Line

Not every kit-treated injury stays off the books. Federal OSHA recordkeeping rules require an employer to log a work-related injury on the OSHA 300 Log if it results in medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, restricted duties, or loss of consciousness.¹⁵

OSHA defines first aid narrowly for this purpose. It includes non-prescription medications at non-prescription strength, cleaning and flushing surface wounds, bandages or gauze pads, butterfly bandages or Steri-Strips, hot or cold therapy, non-rigid supports like elastic wraps, splinter removal with tweezers, and eye patches.¹⁵ Once treatment moves into sutures, staples, rigid immobilization devices, prescription-strength medications, or physical therapy, the case becomes recordable even if the employee never misses a day. The credential of the person providing treatment doesn’t change the classification; a bandage applied by a physician is still first aid.

1
Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3400 – Medical Services and First Aid
2
California Department of Industrial Relations. First Aid
3
California Department of Industrial Relations. ANSI Z308.1 Minimum Kit Contents Table
4
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.151 – Medical Services and First Aid
5
California Code of Regulations. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1512 – Emergency Medical Services
6
Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3439 – First-Aid Kit
7
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.1030 – Bloodborne Pathogens
8
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
9
GovInfo. 42 USC 238q – Liability Regarding Emergency Use of Automated External Defibrillators
10
California Legislative Information. California Code of Regulations Title 13 Motor Vehicles Section 1243 – First Aid Kits
11
Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 13, Section 1243 – First Aid Kits
12
California Legislative Information. California Labor Code Section 6428
13
California Department of Industrial Relations. Cal/OSHA Increases Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025
14
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 34506
15
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.7 – General Recording Criteria