Injury claims are detrimental to any business, and they cost a fortune to resolve, which can hold back productivity and even shut businesses down. Dealing with an accident in the workplace means being proactive and providing essential first aid, which means having a fully stocked medical box and a qualified member of staff on-site at all times. To find out what needs to be included in your medical kit, continue reading below.
General First Aid Leaflet
Your business should have a qualified first aider on site – any qualifications should be renewed every three years to ensure relevancy and up-to-date practices. However, including a leaflet about general first aid will help other members of staff carry out tasks including cleaning or dressing small wounds, and life-saving CPR.
Sterile Eye Pads
Depending on the nature of the business, stray objects can make their way into the eyes, especially when proper PPE isn’t used. Therefore, your medical box should contain eye pad dressings, which can be used to dress minor eye injuries. Keep in mind that the eyes are delicate, so if you even slightly suspect severity, you should seek professional medical advice immediately.
Triangular Bandages
Triangular bandages are an essential part of any first aid kit and have a versatile range of uses. For example, they can be used to support limbs, dress large wound surfaces, and hold other dressings in place. The most recognised usage of a triangular sling is for supporting arms, in which case you will need to open it out.
Individually Wrapped Wound Dressings
Everything in a first aid box needs to be sanitary, which is why the majority of equipment comes individually wrapped. Wound dressings are specifically designed for protecting cuts and promoting proper healing, and their non-stick surface makes them easy to replace. Before putting the dressing on, the cut needs to be cleaned properly with any dirt removed where necessary.
Read More: The Best Transmission Line Stringing Tools: Tips on How to Choose the Right One For You
Individually Wrapped Plasters
Plasters are a basic essential for any first aid box because it’s easy for employees and customers to get small cuts while on site. When this happens, you need to treat the wound with an antiseptic wipe and cover it with the appropriate-sized plaster. If a cut won’t stop bleeding with a regular plaster, it points to a deeper wound, which may need stitches.
Antiseptic Wipes
If wounds aren’t kept clean, they don’t heal correctly and will become infected, which is a painful experience. Therefore, the first job is to clean a wound and remove any visible debris. As well as being great for cleaning wounds, antiseptic wipes will quickly clean your hands before tending to a wound.
Disposable Gloves
There’s no point cleaning out a wound if you haven’t got any gloves on, so make sure you’ve got a pack of disposable gloves. If you can, you should avoid latex because many people are allergic to them.
Injuries are never ideal situations for businesses, and that’s before you consider the potential lawsuits. However, accidents do happen and you need to be prepared to deal with them by supplying a full first aid kit with at least the items listed above.
