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Rhode Island follows the federal OSHA rule (29 CFR 1910.151(b)): there is no fixed first-aider-to-employee ratio, but where no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in near proximity, the employer must ensure adequately trained first-aiders with supplies readily available. OSHA guidance expects a trained responder or EMS to reach a victim within 3-4 minutes for high-hazard operations and roughly 15 minutes for lower-hazard sites.

Rhode Island child care center licensure (218-RICR-70-00-1) requires every staff member to be trained under the most recent American Heart Association guidelines in pediatric CPR and pediatric first aid, with at least one Heimlich-trained staff member on-site at all times. Online training is not accepted for CPR (in-person hands-on component required) but is accepted for pediatric first aid, renewed every 2 years.

Rhode Island's Good Samaritan law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-27.1) grants immunity from civil liability for ordinary negligence to those who voluntarily and gratuitously render emergency assistance, but not for gross negligence or willful conduct, with CPR/AED immunity applying only to persons trained to AHA or American Red Cross standards. Rhode Island uniquely also imposes a statutory duty to rescue under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-56-1.

The Rhode Island Board of Nursing (Department of Health) requires registered nurses to complete 10 contact hours of continuing education every two-year cycle, including at least 2 hours related to substance abuse, from Board- or nationally accredited providers. Provider-accredited resuscitation courses can count toward the hours, while BLS is in practice an employer/hospital requirement rather than a standalone licence condition.

In Rhode Island, nursing homes, assisted-living residences and home-health agencies expect care staff to hold CPR certification, and because home health aides must first become Certified Nursing Assistants (whose programs require CPR), the requirement reaches the whole residential and home-care aide workforce. A recognized, up-to-date first-aid and CPR certificate meets this expectation, in addition to occupational training, and is renewed periodically.

Under Rhode Island's Foster Care and Adoption Regulations for Licensure (214-RICR-40-00-3), non-kinship resource caregivers must be trained in first aid and adult, child and infant CPR before licensure, including an in-person/classroom component. The certification is recognized by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and must be renewed at least every two years from a recognized organization.

Online CPR and first aid training is recognized in Rhode Island; OSHA does not prohibit online training, though its interpretation letters favor a hands-on skills evaluation, so blended formats (online theory plus a practical component) are recommended. Courses provide 3-year certification built on the ILCOR 2025 Consensus on Science.