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As a First Aid training provider this is one of the most frequent questions we are asked. The information below will provide you with the guidance you need when reviewing your First Aid Kits.

Firstly, all employers as a minimum must have:

• A suitably stocked First Aid kit
• An Appointed Person to take charge of First Aid arrangements
• Information for all employees giving details of First Aid arrangements.

As there is no mandatory list of contents for First Aid kits, deciding what is suitable to include in your kit should be based on your assessment of First Aid needs.

Please note: the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) does not 'approve' nor endorse any particular products.

Once an assessment of First Aid needs has been carried out, the findings can be used to decide what First Aid equipment should be provided in the workplace.

First Aid kits should be easily accessible, preferably places near to hand washing facilities and clearly identified by a white cross on a green background.

A first Aid kit should be available at every work site. Larger sites may need more than 1 First Aid kit.

Currently the suggested minimum contents for First Aid kits are:

This list is not mandatory, so equivalent items may be used. Additional items may be required, such as scissors, adhesive tape and individually wrapped moist wipes. These items can be stored separately (but near by) if they do not fit in the box.

If mains tap water is not readily available for eye irrigation, at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9%) in sealed, disposable containers should be provided. When the seal has been broken, containers should not be reused. Containers should not be used beyond their expiry date.

Lots of suppliers sell Ofsted compliant First Aid kits, the contents of this kit are based on a combination of advice from the Health and Safety Executive, The National Child Minding Association and the Pre-School Learning Alliance. Please see below the contents for an Ofsted Compliant First Aid Kit, this list is not mandatory, so equivalent or similar items can be used:

The British Standard BS8599 was introduced in June 2011. Until now, there have been few guidelines on what a First Aid kit should contain. And what guidelines do exist, are out of date.

In an emergency, businesses can find their current kits lack the essentials, or include outdated and inadequate items. And some kits currently in use are full of waste items that first aiders don't normally use (i.e. triangular bandages).

Often, kits don’t contain enough wipes or plasters. So employers might have to buy additional supplies to supplement their kit.

The new BS8599 standard recommends the correct number of plasters, bandages etc for small, medium, large or travel-size kits.

It is not a regulatory requirement under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 to purchase First Aid kits that comply with the BS8599 standard. Instead the contents of a first aid box are dependent on an employers first aid needs assessment.

This means for employers following a needs assessment the options are:

1. Within your workplace you have access to a first aid kit whose contents complies with BS8599 and matches your needs assessment;

OR

The BS8599 standard also provides recommendations on the amount and size of the first aid kits necessary for different workplace environments based on the category of risk and the number of employees at the workplace.

Also consider the spread of staff and ease of access to a First Aid Kit i.e. 25 staff in an office over 2 floors needs 2 kits.