First Aid Kits

To be able to adequately administer first aid to a casualty you may need to use a first aid kit. The required contents of a first aid kit will be determined by many factors including the environment in which the kit is to be used, the number of people the kit is needed for and whether the environment has a low, moderate or high risk of injury. For example, a workplace with heavy earth moving equipment will require different first aid supplies than a household first aid kit.

In all States and Territories, there is Occupational Health and Safety legislation that requires every workplace to have and maintain a first aid kit that meets the needs of the environment. This will often be the responsibility of the designated workplace first aider.

First aid kits should be stored in a cool, clean and dry location out of reach of children that is readily accessible in an emergency. All first aid kits should be checked regularly to ensure all items are present and in good working order and expiry dates are current. Within the workplace, all staff should be informed of where first aid kits are stored and all family members should be aware of the location of first aid kits in the home and car.

Ideally, all homes, cars and workplaces should have an adequate first aid kit that meets their needs. However, if a first aid kit is not readily available do not hesitate to commence treatment and improvise where possible until medical assistance arrives.

First aid kit contents vary according to their particular use. For example, a first aid kit for a farm will contain a few different items to a first aid kit for a city-dwelling family.

A basic first aid kit should contain:

Triangular bandages

Crepe (‘conforming’ or elastic) bandages of varying widths

Non-adhesive (non-stick) dressings of varying sizes

Disposable gloves (medium and large), preferably made of non-latex material

Thermal blanket

Notepad and pencil

Plastic bags of varying sizes

Adhesive tape (2.5 cm wide – preferably a permeable tape such as Micropore)

Resuscitation mask or face shield.

Other equipment can include:

Medium combine dressing pads (9 x 20 cm)

Large combine dressing pads (20 x 20 cm)

Adhesive dressing strips (bandaids)

Medium gauze dressing (7.5 x 7.5 cm)

Four sterile tubes of saline solution (minimum 10 ml)

One pair of scissors

One pair of tweezers

First aid booklet.

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First aid information is available at the following government websites:

Federalhttp://www.comcare.gov.au

ACT http://www.workcover.act.gov.au

NSW http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

NT http://www.deet.nt.gov.au

QLD http://www.whs.qld.gov.au

SA http://www.workcover.com

TAS http://www.wsa.tas.gov.au

VIC http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au

WA http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au