CPR and first aid certification for restaurants
Choking is the emergency restaurant staff actually face. What OSHA expects, what health codes require, and how the two differ.
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a certified instructor. It is written from published course materials — confirm requirements with your employer or school.
Restaurants sit at the intersection of two different rulebooks, and they are easy to confuse.
Which certification is requested
Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, or the Red Cross equivalent — the layperson course covering choking relief, bleeding, burns and CPR.
Where the requirement comes from:
- OSHA requires that trained first-aid personnel be available where a medical facility is not reasonably accessible. In a city centre this is often satisfied by nearby emergency services; in a rural or industrial location it usually is not.
- State and local health codes are the other source, and a number of jurisdictions require choking-response training, posted choking procedures, or a trained person on each shift.
- Franchise agreements and insurers frequently impose their own requirement regardless of either.
Note that food handler and food manager certification is a different thing entirely. It covers food safety, not medical response, and holding one does nothing for a CPR requirement. Confusing the two is the most common mistake in this sector.
Which issuing organizations are accepted
OSHA does not name providers, and health codes usually describe content rather than an organization. AHA and American Red Cross courses are both widely used and accepted.
Is online-only enough?
For a designated first-aid responder, no — choking relief and CPR need hands-on practice, and back blows and abdominal thrusts are exactly the skills that fail under pressure when they have only been watched on a screen.
Awareness-level material can reasonably be online; the responder certification should not be.
How often you need to renew
Two years for the card. Food safety certifications renew on their own schedule — commonly three to five years for a manager certification — so do not assume one reminder covers both.
Given restaurant turnover, the practical problem is usually coverage rather than expiry: a shift can end up with nobody trained on it after a few resignations. Review coverage when staff change, not only when cards expire.
What to verify with your employer or local authority
- Whether your local health code requires choking or first-aid training.
- Whether OSHA's proximity condition applies to your location.
- How many trained staff are needed, and per shift or per site.
- Whether the franchise agreement or insurer sets a stricter requirement.
- Whether first aid is required alongside CPR.
- Whether the employer arranges on-site group training — usually the practical option for a restaurant team.
Requirements vary by jurisdiction, location and franchise, and they change. Confirm before booking.
Booking
Browse first aid and CPR classes — for a whole team, ask providers about on-site group sessions scheduled around service.