Boxing clever
April 1st 2008

Specifying or replenishing a first aid kit? St John's Supplies offers some advice:

How much do you need? This depends on the working environment. Consider: hazards and risks, the size of the organisation, nature and distribution of the workforce and remoteness of site from emergency medical services when specifying a kit

What do you need? Once you've assessed the type of environment you will need to look at exactly what you should be providing.

Each work site should have at least one first aid container including a sufficient quantity of first aid supplies for the circumstances. There is no mandatory list of items for a first aid kit, but as a general rule they should contain the following: A leaflet giving general first aid guidance Twenty individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings (assorted sizes) Two sterile eye pads Four individually wrapped triangular bandages (preferably sterile) Six safety pins Six medium sized individually wrapped sterile unmedicated wound dressings – approximately 12cm x 12cm Two large sterile individually wrapped sterile unmedicated wound dressings – approximately 18cm x 18cm 10 alcohol free wipes One pair of disposable gloves (Don't forget about latex allergies and the law, to learn more contact the Health & Safety Executive. Nitrile gloves which do not contain latex are available).

First Aid suppliers can offer kits which contain the above ranging from 1 person up to a 50 person kit. Don't forget to consult your First Aiders, they may have further requirements e.g.

eye wash or protective blankets.

If you provide a list of specific requirements to a First Aid supplier, they should be able to put together a bespoke kit to fulfil for your companies' needs. Not all kits have to be made up into the traditionally rigid containers. Consider a back-pack or shoulder bag which can be easily grabbed in an emergency.

Also, don't forget to keep a check on your kits, replenishment is essential.

Finally, a first aid kit should not be hidden away, it's there for the employees benefit so it's worthwhile providing signage to ensure employees know where it's situated. This is also true for kits in a public place, make it visible and easily accessible.

If it's a concern, it is possible to buy lockable cabinets, pilfer proof dispensers or even to seal the first aid kits to ensure only your first aiders use them.