Why Should We Have First Aid Kits and First Aid Supplies

Every household and workplace needs a first aid kit in case of emergency, just as everywhere needs a fire extinguisher. They are essential in situations in which calling an ambulance may take time and someone needs help immediately, or in less urgent situations such as a child falling over and needing a plaster and some antiseptic to clean the wound. A standard first aid kit for a household should include an emergency first aid guidance leaflet, around twenty plasters of different shapes and sizes, two eye pads, four triangular bandages, six safety pins, six medium dressings, two large dressings, six alcohol free cleansing wipes and one pair of disposable gloves. This tends to be the standard watermark of what is needed and the minimum most suppliers offer in a box. However, there are extras available from most suppliers at an extra cost. For example, when ordering a first aid kit one can request for it to include various bandages such as cohesive, conforming, crepe, elastic, tubular or WOW bandages. In addition, there are still more products available such as ambulance dressings, antiseptic, blankets, hot and cold sprays, thermometers, cotton wool and cream for insect bites.

First aid kit suppliers specialise in the supplying diagnostic and first aid equipment to individuals and private companies. They offer online services which customers can use to browse the wide range of products varying from first aid kits, to resuscitation masks and blood pressure monitors. With first aid kits being so universally essential, the supplier’s clientele ranges vastly from normal members of the public, to health organisations, Schools, Care Homes, as well as Surgeries of course. Orders can be placed online and then be conveniently delivered within a few days in the UK.

First aid kits/supplies

As is often shown in the news, personal hygiene is a really important part of daily life be it from washing both your hands after using the lavatory or coming into contact with raw meat or poultry always be sure that cuts are cleaned, and properly dressed so as to prevent infection. One way to be sure that the latter is definitely possible in almost any eventuality is to keep a completely stocked emergency first aid kit which can be easily accessed when needed.

There is a wide selection of first aid kits available on the open market, from your small basic one person sets available from most hiking shops and pharmacists to the St John’s Ambulance selection with enough supplies to meet the requirements of 10, 20 and even 50 people that comply with all of the most up to date health and safety regulations. However, because possessing a poorly stocked emergency first aid kit can be ultimately as bad as not having one at all, it is vital to replace any stock that has been used. This is why, it is possible to buy refill packs that include all of the necessary items such as plasters, dressings of varied lengths and sizes, disinfectant wipes, bandages, eyepads, safety pins and latex gloves. If however, one particular item becomes necessary, it is possible to get a range of them individually without the need to splash out on a complete refill set.

However, some businesses might require hygiene and health and safety goods that may not be typically a part of first aid kits, such as eyewash stations and first aid signs. In such cases there are numerous online suppliers who are able to provide such items among others allowing these firms to stick to health and safety guidelines.

It should be noted, however, that these suppliers do not only supply to businesses since they in addition provide first aid kits and some other items specifically for sports teams including additional items that include cold/hot packs plus emergency foil blankets.

BS-8599 Choosing the right British Standard Kit

BS-8599 British Standard First Aid Kits

Choosing the correct kit for your organisation

Employers are required to make a risk assessment to decide what the hazards are and how many employees are involved in the areas to be covered. This does not have to be an onerous task and may be as simple as checking through the accident record book to determine the types and numbers of injuries that have occurred in the recent past.

The table below is a useful guide to match risk assessment and appropriate kit size.

Category of Hazard	Number of Employees	Size of kit required
Low Hazard e.g. shops, offices, libraries etc.	Less than 25	Small Kit
	25-100	Medium Kit
	More than 100	Large Kit per every 100 employees
High Hazard e.g. Engineering and assembly work, food processing, warehousing, extensive work with dangerous machinery or sharp instruments, construction, chemical industry, etc.	Less than 5	Small Kit
	6-25	Medium Kit
	More than 25	Large Kit per every 25 employees