What should be in a first aid kit and why do I need one?

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to have a minor injury, or even something more serious, or even life-threatening, you probably received, or (if you were in a position to do so) sought out first aid treatment or a first aid kit.

But what makes a good first aid kit and what should be in it?

Of course, there are always going to be the staples, like a box of plasters and a bandage, a pair of scissors and a triangular bandage, but it’s true to say that the first aid kit has come along way from that most of us think of.

For most of us, especially if we haven’t bought a first aid kit before, the go to in an emergency is usually under the car seat and rooting through either long out-of-date medical equipment in odds and sods, or finding out its dreadfully inadequate or, in many cases, an empty box!

It’s in these situations, that the investment in a good first aid kit becomes immediately clear, and good kits are well worth the investment.

An example of a very well stocked and thought out first aid kit, comes in the form of the BSI First Aid Kit.

This exceptionally versatile first aid Perfect for medium sized workplaces and has a wide range of essential first aid products, coming in a sturdy and compact durable box for safe storage in between use.

 

Also, particularly useful in this box, is the guidance leaflet giving easy to read information and guidance on effective use of the kit, especially useful where extra guidance may be required for the use of certain products.

 

Included in the kit are the following items:

 

6 Medium Sterile Dressings

2 Large Sterile Dressing

3 Triangular Bandages

12 Safety Pins

3 Eye Pad Sterile Dressings

60 Sterile Adhesive Plasters

30 Sterile Cleansing Wipes

1 Adhesive Tape

9 Nitrile Disposable Gloves (Pairs)

3 Finger Sterile Dressings

1 Mouth to Mouth Shield

2 Foil Blanket

2 Hydrogel Burn Dressing

1 Shears

2 Conforming Bandage

 

So you can see that, this first aid kit comes equipped for many potential health and first aid applications, at home, in the workplace or in the professional medical setting.

 

Sometimes a first aid kit needs to be tailored to a certain type of use or in a particular setting, a burns first aid kit is a good example of this.

 

A Burns First Aid Kit is much more geared towards burn injuries be they mild or more serious and the kits are available in different sizes depending on the frequency and type of use.

 

A kitchen is a good example of where a burns first aid kit may be particularly suitable, ensuring that if the worst should happen, first aiders have the necessary equipment to be able to administer rapid first aid on the scene before medical experts arrive, or the patient is transferred to a hospital.

 

The burns first aid kit featured here contains the following equipment:

 

3 Burn Gel Dressing 10 x 10cm

4 Burn Gel Sachets 3.5ml

2 Pair of Vinyl Gloves

4 Saline Eye and Wound Wash Pods

1 Heat Absorbing Foil Blanket

1 Tuff Cutt Shears

4 Jumbo blue detectable plasters 72 x 50mm

4 Fingertip blue detectable plasters 60 x 45mm

20 Large strip blue detectable plasters 72 x 22mm

40 Medium strip blue detectable plasters 72 x 19mm

8 Square blue detectable plasters 38 x 38mm

24 Small strip blue detectable plasters 38x19mm

6 Safety Pins

1 Microporous tape 1.25cm x 5m

1 Conforming Bandage 5cm x 4.5m

1 Conforming Bandage 7.5cm x 4.5m

 

Again, you can see from the above, that for burn type injuries, the level of equipment in this kit enables the treatment of burns or scalds with a comprehensive range enabling the user to be prepared for many medical emergencies.

 

Burn injuries are not only limited to kitchens, there are many other workplaces where burns are a potential hazard, so this kit is essential for many workplaces, laboratories, garages, schools and for many other applications.

 

If you’ve enjoyed seeing what is included in a good first aid kit, you can see many more examples in our category page here