A summary of items appropriate to both
commercial / industrial First Aid
Kits, and also for
Outdoor Activities & Sports.
It should be emphasized that every First
Aid Kit should contain items that are "adequate and appropriate" for
their particular application and working environment. This relates to:-
design, labeling, packaging, ease of use,
effectiveness, single or multi-purpose, hypo-allergenic, any need for special
training, etc. I.e., the findings of an effective risk assessment.
By way of guidance, the recommendations made by the Health and
Safety Executive for appropriate items in a First Aid kit should be considered
as a foundation for all kits. Kits should only contain items of useful in
providing First Aid — medications and tablets must be excluded.
For premises / operations without
any special risks, the HSE recommends the following items as a
minimum:-
A First Aid Guidance Notes leaflet,
20 Individually wrapped sterile
adhesive dressings — assorted sizes,
2 Sterile eye pads,
4 Individually wrapped triangular
bandages (preferably sterile),
6 Safety pins,
6, 12 cm x 12 cm (medium) sterile
unmedicated wound dressings,
2, 18 cm x 18 cm (Large) sterile
unmedicated wound dressings,
1 Pair of disposable gloves.
** Equivalent but
different items will be considered acceptable.
Travelling First Aid kits for
persons working off-site should typically contain:-
A First Aid Guidance Notes leaflet,
6 Individually wrapped sterile
adhesive dressings — assorted sizes,
2 Individually wrapped triangular
bandages (preferably sterile),
2 Safety pins,
1, 18 cm x 18 cm (Large) sterile
unmedicated wound dressing,
Individually wrapped moist cleaning
wipes,
1 Pair of disposable gloves.
Additional items
such as scissors, waste disposal bags, aprons, adhesive tape etc., may be kept
inside the First Aid container if there is room, or nearby and immediately
accessible.
Where clean tap
water is not available for eye irrigation, at least 1 litre of 0.9%
sterile saline must be available.
First Aid
containers — for all environments — must
be watertight and dust tight, and marked with a white cross on a green
background. Items
should not be used after their expiry date, or if damaged in any
way. First Aid kit items
must be replenished immediately after their use.
Outdoor Activity
First Aid Kits
The following list represents a
selection of useful items for both dealing with First Aid and management of the
patient. It is a list that has been compiled based upon experience — the
items proving adequate and appropriate for the circumstances!
A First Aid Guidance Notes leaflet,
Resuscitation mask or shield,
Triangular bandages,
50 mm Wide medical adhesive tape —
or 5 metres of "Duck" tape,
Small, Medium and Large plastic
packed compressed Wound / Ambulance dressings — or "First Field
Dressings",
10 cm x 10 cm Gauze pads,
"Sterripod" sterile saline
tubes,
20 cm x 10 cm "Melolin"
type dressings,
Paraffin Gauze Dressings,
A strip of 75 mm wide "Elastoplast"
type dressing strip,
Assorted self-adhesive
hypo-allergenic wound dressings,
A length of "Netelast"
size F,
A roll of 25 mm wide "Micropore"
hypo-allergenic type tape,
Packet of "Sterristrip"
wound closures,
"Oragel" or similar type
toothache remedy,
Throat swab ( gauze taped onto a
strong flat stick),
Several large and strong safety
(nappy) pins,
Sterile, disposable hypodermic
needles,
'Splinter' type tweezers,
> Factor 20 sunscreen,
Aftersun / calamine / aloevera,
Antihistamine cream,
Wound cleaning tissues in sachets,
'Paramedic' style scissors,
Sterile & packeted scalpel
blade,
Glucose sweets or
"Hypo-stop",
Imodium (or similar) anti-diaorrhoea
medication,
Analgesic tablets (for personal use)
Disposable surgical 'examination'
gloves,
Strong sandwich bags or "clingfilm"
sheets,
Solid-state plastic thermometer,
Waterproof notepad pens, pencils,
Casualty reporting cards —
several.
Ropes, Blizzard Packs, poly survival-bags, group
shelters, flares, strobes, mobile phones etc., should be carried as
appropriate.
The listing
here of any medication does not imply that these medications should be
administered at will to party members. In all cases, where there is a
chance that medications may be required, the individual party members should
bring their own — often after consultation with their General Medical
Practitioners, in order to avoid adverse reactions. It is often
prudent for the party Leader to retain these medications for the benefit of
the individual party member — ie. Named containers for named
persons. Any medications 'issued' to party members must be witnessed
& recorded in
detail in writing.
The suitability
for use and application of any of the described items is the responsibility
of the presiding First Aider. Andy Sherriff cannot be held responsible
for any adverse / allergic reactions or failure of a treatment, a failure to
provide treatment or gain formal medical care, any advice given, that may ensue, or any
matters regarding advice given / not given to a patient..
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