First aid facilities and equipment

9.1 First Aid Boxes

The number, location, and content of first aid boxes should also depend on an assessment of the risk. Each workplace should have at least one first aid box, more if the workplace is large as one box would not be readily accessible to all staff.

The named, designated first aider or appointed person is responsible for ensuring that service/establishment first aid boxes are kept fully stocked. Facilities are responsible for maintaining first aid boxes at centrally managed establishments. Sterile items should be replaced by the date on the wrapper or if the wrapper is damaged. Where there is more than one first aider, emergency first aider or appointed person in a workplace then the manager should nominate who is responsible for the first aid box. A record of the location of all first aid boxes including travelling ones should be kept.

There is no mandatory list of items to put in a first-aid box. It depends on what you assess your needs to be. As a guide, where work activities involve low-level hazards, a minimum stock of first-aid items would be:

• A leaflet giving general guidance on first aid (PDF Download);
• 20 individually wrapped sterile plasters (of assorted sizes), appropriate to the type of work (you can provide hypoallergenic plasters if necessary).
• Two sterile eye pads.
• Four individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile.
• Six safety pins.
• Two large, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings.
• Six medium-sized, individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings.
• At least three pairs of disposable gloves. Visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/employ/gloves.htm 

This is a suggested contents list only as the contents of any first-aid kit should reflect the outcome of your first aid needs assessment.

Supplementary items may be kept in the first aid box if there is room or can be stored separately for example:

• Adhesive tape.
• Disposable aprons.
• Resusciades (a device for use in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
• Paper towels (for clearing up spillages).
• Individually wrapped moist wipes.
• Scissors (only required where there is a possibility that clothing may have to be cut away in which case, they should be a minimum of 12.7cm long, blunt ended, stainless steel or Tuff Cut Clothing scissors).
• Spills kit.

Where no mains tap water (drinking quality) is readily available at least a litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline solution (0.9%) in sealed disposable containers should be provided. Once the seal is broken containers should not be kept for reuse.

School science rooms must have eyewash facilities and should refer to CLEAPSS guidance as follows:

‘At least one tap in each laboratory should have a clear rubber tube about 300mm long allocated for this purpose. There may be advantages in placing the piece of clean, soft rubber tubing in a plastic bag, pinning it to the wall adjacent to the tap and clearly labelling it FOR EMERGENCY EYE WASHING.’

9.2 First Aid Kits in Vehicles

All Council vehicles should carry a small travelling first aid kit maintained by the appointed person for the service using them. Staff using their own vehicles, who spend a large proportion of their time away from their work base, should be provided with a travelling first aid kit for which they will be personally responsible. These should be paid for from local budgets.

9.3 First Aid/Medical Rooms

The decision to provide a first aid room should be based on a risk assessment but would not normally be required except in schools, high-risk establishments or those remote from medical services. Any room provided to fulfil the requirements of the regulations must be easily accessible to stretchers and to any other equipment required to convey patients to and from the room.

The room should also be signposted with an approved sign (green background with the standard white cross and First Aid Room).

9.4 First Aid for Agile and Homeworkers

First aid arrangements should be considered during the job role risk assessment process. Staff who use non-BC premises without first aid provision should be provided with a small first aid kit. Managers should provide staff who are required to work from home with a small first aid kit, unless one is available in the house.