Contents of First Aid Kits
Contents of First Aid Kits
The contents required in a first aid kit are directly linked to activity and building risk assessments and the contents should be tailored accordingly, As a starting point the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) guidance regarding First Aid Kit contents for low risk activity is useful when deciding on the basic contents of a first aid kit. For low risk activity HSE guidance is as follows:
Contents of First Aid kits
In a first aid kit, you should include:
- Pair of disposable non-latex protective gloves.
- Individually wrapped, sterile plasters of assorted sizes. This should include blue plasters for kitchen use. You may want to include plasters for various skin tones to help everyone feel happy and comfortable.
- Sterile eye pads.
- Individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile.
- Safety pins.
- Medium-sized (approximately 12 cm x 12 cm) individually wrapped, sterile, un-medicated wound dressings.
- Large-sized (approximately 18 cm x 18 cm) individually wrapped, sterile, un-medicated wound dressings.
- Guidance leaflet (a leaflet supplied with the kit or that you make yourself, which includes brief instructions on emergency treatment).
- An incident record book or a notebook and a pencil.
You might also like to include:
- Resuscitation face shield
- Scissors
- Extra gloves
- Aprons
- Adhesive tape
- Steripods (sealed sachets of normal saline)
- Individual wrapped moist cleaning wipes for the first aider’s hands
- Period products, such as pads and tampons
- A plastic bag and seal for the disposal of soiled dressings
- Stickers to say ‘Well done!’ for young age groups
Getting help and contact information
The details of the nearest doctor, the nearest hospital with emergency facilities, the nearest defibrillator and the nearest public telephone will also be useful information to keep inside the first aid kit.
You should also make sure you've a means of getting help, such as a mobile phone or charging cable.
Buying and creating a first aid kit
Decisions made on the contents of the first aid kit should consider the event or activity taking place, the number of participants, the average age of the group and how long the event's going to last.
If you're buying a first aid kit, look for British Standard (BS) 8599. By law, your kit doesn’t have to meet this standard, but you should check it contains what you’ve identified for your situation.
Checking the contents
The contents of the first aid kit should be regularly checked and replenished to ensure that all items are present and that they are within their expiry date.
We recommend that someone is made responsible for regularly checking that the first aid kit is complete and the contents are in date and that these checks are recorded.
The first aider should be familiar with and competent in the use of the contents kept in the first aid kit.
After an incident
After any incident, items used should be replaced as necessary. This duty should be the responsibility of one particular person, normally the designated First Aider.
First aid procedures
Details of first aid procedures and the care of the sick may be found in the current First Aid Manual, published by Dorling Kindersley Limited, 9 Henrietta London WC2F 8PS. This is also available from St. John Supplies, PO. Box 707A, Friend Street, London EC1V 7NE.
Safety practical tips
This guidance is to help clarify some of the administrative needs surrounding your provision of safer Scouting.
Find more Safety Practical Tips