There’s no way of guaranteeing the safety of employees in the workplace. Sure, each business should conduct a risk assessment every year to reassess the to chances of danger, but that merely allows you to reasonably reduce risk, not eliminate it. So having said this, it’s always wise to have a first aid kit that can help with some of the injuries that are most likely to occur at your business. But with so many options, you would be forgiven for not being sure which kit is best for you to have in your own organisation. Our latest blog can help you decide why you need a first aid kit and which might be the best for you.
Why Businesses Need First Aid Kits
First aid kits are mandatory for all businesses. This should be part of your health and safety plan, and these arrangements should be made based on whatever industry you’re in. Taken from the HSE (health and safety executive) website, they state:
As a minimum, you must have:
- a suitably stocked first-aid kit
- an appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements;
- information for all employees giving details of first-aid arrangements.
But that still leaves the type of kit you should get, and this really depends on what your business does.
Are Businesses Legally Required to Have First Aid Kits
The HSE requires you to have first aid kits as stated above. They are mandatory pieces of equipment for all workplaces.
What Types of First Aid Kits are There?
There are a number of first aid kit types, depending on what they’re being used for. Here are the types of kits Direct365 have in their shop and what they’re used for.
Standard first aid kits
These are what you may imagine. They’re namely used for basic first aid, in premises that are low risk, such as offices.
Vehicle first aid kits
Vehicle first aid kits have the things you usually need to perform basic first aid in when on the road or stranded during a break down.
Sharps and bodily fluid kit
These kits are specifically made for clinical settings that use sharp medical equipment. Think tattoo parlours, for example. These kits have extra items like biohazard bags, scoops and scrapers and aprons, amongst other things.
Catering/food hygiene
Ideal for the catering industry, the food hygiene kits come with different plasters, disposable gloves, finger dressings and more.
Burns kit
Not similar to other kits, and with one obvious aim: to quell the pain of a burn. There are burns gel packs and steicool roll to calm the burn and protect it, as well as gloves to avoid infections and other items.
Childcare kit
The items provided here are the likes of children’s plasters, eye pads, smaller dressings and the usual items to help avoid contamination.
How Much you Need to Spend on First Aid Kits
There is no real specific amount you need to spend on a first aid kit. The general advice is that you should ensure you’re prepared for any realistic injuries that may occur in your workplace. Having additional stock, too, should be a target, in case you go through a glut of injuries. Generally, you shouldn’t want to skimp and save on first aid kits. Not only is there a legal requirement, but you need to be responsible and have a reasonable amount of first aid stock.
To see our list of first aid kits, check out the link to our range below.
