First Aid Kit

Many inexpensive first aid kits are so simple that they provide little assistance in cases of emergency. Be sure that any kit you purchase is complete. If you do purchase a kit that only contains band aids, tape and some gauze, add some items of your own to complete the kit.

So what makes a good first aid kit? A good kit contains a diverse and complete supply of first aid items needed for emergencies such as sanitizing products, bandages and tape, a first aid guide, splints, medicine, and lotions such as sunscreen and lip ointment. Many complete first aid kits are sold online or may be assembled yourself, though the cost of building your own kit may be greater than purchasing a pre-assembled kit. If you decide to build a kit yourself, keep in mind where the kit will be stored and build the kit according to potential emergencies that may present themselves in the immediate area where the kit will be stored.

Sanitizing items such as alcohol pads and antibiotic ointment are the first priority when treating a wound or injury. Wounds must be cleaned with effective sterilization equipment before they are bandaged to avoid infection. Infection can be a silent attacker in injuries that can add to the severity of the injury. Be sure to keep enough sterilization supplies in your first aid kit.

Once the injury is cleaned properly, sterile bandages are applied to keep the injury clean, support it and protect it from further injury. Include bandages of various sizes in your first aid kit. You may have to add bandages of different sizes to a simple commercial first aid kit. Only having band aids in the kit does not adequately prepare you for injuries.

Splints, medical tape and gauze are important for injuries that require support until help can arrive. Popsicle sticks work well for finger splints. Medicines are another essential part of any first aid kit. Ibuprofen, aspirin and antacid tablets are common items in a complete kit. Be sure you are prepared for physical ailments that could keep you from functioning properly in an emergency situation.

A final necessary item to include in your first aid kit is a first aid guide. First aid guides are inexpensive and can be purchased online. Don’t rely on your memory or your education to use your first aid kit properly. Emergency situations can be stressful and emotionally intense causing you to panic. You may not be able to think clearly and remember first aid procedures you have learned in the past. First aid guides will give easy instructions to whoever is using the kit.

Three important places to store a first aid kit are in your home, in your car and at work. Since most of your time is spent at these places, make sure you have enough kits to help the potential number of people who may need one in any of these locations. Finally, after you have obtained your first aid kits and have placed them in the key areas listed above, be sure to review the contents of the kits every few months to see if any items need to be restocked. Always keep your kits complete and up to date.

Below is a list of basic items to include in your first aid kit.
• Trauma dressing
• Sunscreen lotion packets
• Sting relief prep pads
• Burn cream packs
• Aspirin tablets
• Antacid tablets
• Ibuprofen tablets
• Lip ointment packets
• Antibiotic packets
• Pair of vinyl gloves
• Finger splints
• Cotton tip applicators
• Roll of first aid tape
• Roll of gauze dressing
• First aid instruction guide

There are four major components of workplace first-aid, namely; first-aider, first-aid, box, first-aid room, and first-aid equipment. When deciding on the number of first-aiders, first-aid box, first-aid room and first-aid equipment for the workplace, the following factors should be considered: type of industry, number of workers, number of work shifts, and location of workplace in relation to the nearest hospital or aid station.

If there is a shift work schedule, there should be a sufficient number of first-aiders for each shift based. In a work-site where employees of different employers, such as in construction, are working together. The principal employer should provide and maintain safe systems of work which include provisions for adequate and appropriate first-aider, first-aid box, first-aid room (if needed) and first-aid equipment.

However, the relevant employers may make arrangement where one of them agrees to provide adequate and appropriate first-aider, first-aid box, first-aid room (if needed) and first-aid equipment. The agreement should be recorded in writing and a copy of the agreement should be kept by each employer concerned.

An employer should display a notice, in a prominent place in the work-site, of the names and locations of first-aiders. First-aiders should also be provided with a form of identification for easy recognition. An employer shall, from time to time, recruit or select suitable persons to go for first-aid training. The employer should consider persons with the following qualities to be trained in first-aid: physically fit, free from blood borne infectious diseases, and free to leave their work immediately to respond to an emergency

The training will be a course on first-aid conducted by institutions recognized by a governing body. The local telephone book will have many listings on companies given courses. Depending on the number of trainees, they will come to your workplace. Once trained, first-aiders will need to undergo recertification. Check with the course giver on years of validation. Employers should keep a record of the dates on which first-aiders obtained their training and the dates on which they received refresher training.

In the management of an injured worker or ill worker, first-aiders should:

• Give immediate first-aid treatment, keeping in mind that a casualty may have more serious injuries and illness.
• Arrange without delay for the injured worker(s) to be sent to a doctor, hospital or home, according to the seriousness of this condition.
• This first-aider’s responsibility ends when the injuried are handed over to the care of health care personnel.
• A record of the injury and treatment given by the first-aider should be made.
• This record shall be kept by the employer for a period of five years.
• The record should include information on:
• The immediate treatment
• Details about the incident/accident including information about the work process involved
• Details about injury or work-related illness
• Any referral arrangements made such as the usage of local ambulance service, referral to local hospital
• Subsequent injury management.

First-aid boxes should be made of sturdy material and be portable so that it can be taken to the site of an incident. The boxes should also be clearly marked and kept current with a written record of contents. Each first-aid box should be placed in a clearly marked area. Where a workplace covers a large area, an adequate number of first-aid boxes should be provided. Employees should be informed of the location of all first aid boxes.

First-aid boxes should contain a sufficient quantity of suitable first-aid materials.
They should not contain oral medication of any kind other than those required for first-aid treatment. It is essential that first-aid boxes be checked frequently so as to make sure they are fully equipped and all items are usable. Materials used should be replaced as soon as possible. The size and contents will be determined by the number of employees and type of industry. In the first-aid box, it is a good idea to have a quick reference sheet in first-aid and booklet. A quick reference sheet is handy for quick analysis of an injury. Send for one and we can e-mail one.

Brent Bowlin is a health and safety researcher who has helped businesses in implementing safety programs. For help contact him at abbsafetynet@gmail.com and for safety supplies go to http://www.safetysuppliescanada.com – they deliver anywhere.

So, you need some first-aid information Great! Glad you asked. Let’s get started with Webster’s definition.

First-Aid n: Emergency care given immediately to an injured person. The purpose of first-aid is to minimize injury and future disability. In serious cases, first aid may be necessary to keep the victim alive.

Short, sweet and to the point. Just like the name implies first-aid literally means being there first on the scene to provide assistance, maybe the most important role of all, aside from the trained physician of course.

The good news is first aid is a series of simple medical techniques that almost anyone can perform with minimal first-aid training and a little first-aid information. This means you.

The Core First-Aid Skills

No matter what first-aid course you take they will teach you about the 3 B’s. These three skills are considered core in any first-aid training and provide the basis of all other first-aid information. The 3 B’s are:

• Breathing
• Bleeding
• Bones

And they should always be followed in this given order. Meaning a first-aid responder should attend to the breathing of a patient before checking for bleeding or broken bones. Where do the ABC’s come in? ABC is a mnemonic we use to help remember the proper procedure to follow when dealing with someone who is not breathing. Remember, the first thing we have to do is check for breathing. ABC stands for Airway, Breathing and Circulation. It is the order of steps taken to get a person breathing again. The 3 B’s and ABC are the foundation of your first-aid training.First-Aid In Action

Let’s put this into a real life situation so you can see how it all fits together, The B’s and the ABCs. And you thought you knew the alphabet.

Let’s assume you’re walking along and you come across someone who is unconscious. You are a first aid responder and you are here to preserve life. The very first thing you do is call for help. This is a vital piece of first-aid information. Shout, jump up and down, get on your cell phone, you are not a medical professional you are just first on the scene, get yourself some back up. Then remembering your first-aid training, The 3 B’s, you check to see if the patient is breathing. He’s not, what do you do? You use the mnemonic ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).

So, Airway comes first. You check the patient’s airway. He might be choking on something or the tongue might have fall backward and is obstructing airflow. You can easily solve this by tipping the head backwards, which lifts the tongue clear. The airway can also become blocked from a foreign object lodged in the larynx, commonly called choking. Ok, so you tilt his head back and he begins to breath again. Great, well done! You’ve completed A, opening the airway, and the patient is breathing. That means B is taken care of and naturally, C, circulation, will take care of itself. Now what?

You proceed to the second two B’s, bleeding and bones. You’ve done great and you check over the patient while you wait for help to arrive. But let’s say you’ve opened the airway, you’ve completed A of the ABC’s, you’ve checked for choking and foreign objects, but the patient still isn’t breathing. This is where you move on to the B and C part, breathing and circulation. You will breathe and help circulate blood for the patient because he can’t do it himself.

This is called CPR and it could be one of the single most important things you ever learn in your life. CPR is a skill that requires some training. If CPR is done incorrectly is can cause further damage to your patient. There are certain first-aid situations that can be life threatening and require some professional know how, CPR is one of them.

Please do not attempt CPR without some first-aid training. Let’s get back to your patient. Naturally you have received first-aid training in CPR and begin immediately. You will not be able to check for bleeding or broken bones but continue performing CPR until further help arrives. Great job!

The Wrap up

So there you have it, a little first-aid info and what it looks like in action. I hope I’ve answered your question, about what fist aid is?

Not all first-aid is that dramatic, thank goodness! But it does feel good to know you can handle yourself in a crisis. Remember no one is expecting you to get a degree in medicine or master CPR. You just need enough good quality first-aid information and training to be able to hold it together until professional help arrives.

Jennifer Williams of http://www.all-things-first-aid.com and enjoys bringing topical and relevant information about first aid and first aid products. I work for one of only a few companies online to provide products specializing in burn care and treatment.

With an estimated six million working days being lost in the UK each year due to work related injuries, employers should be looking at increasing the amount of first aid provision and knowledge amongst their employees.

It is estimated that around six million working days are lost in the UK each year through work related reportable injuries. As such, the cost of this to UK companies is in the region of £5-8 billion in lost working time.[1] Amazingly, these figures do not even include the number of people who are taken seriously ill at work through cardiac arrests, asthma attacks and other non-work related illnesses such as epileptic fits etc.

Although the provision of first aid equipment within the workplace is a legal requirement in the UK, there is no mandatory list of contents to be contained within First Aid Kits . Quite strangely, there is also no mandatory requirement for there to be a trained first aid practitioner in the workplace either. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) do however, provide guidelines to businesses and employers regarding standard items that should be included within their first aid provision and they do offer suggestions as to the level and amount of trained first aid personnel based upon the size of the workforce and associated risks involved.

According to the British Red Cross, the number of reportable injuries and amount of lost working time could be reduced by employers if they were to increase the knowledge of first aid and first aid procedures amongst their employees. Employers could increase the level of first aid and basic life support skills amongst their staff by arranging for them to participate in first aid at work training courses, or perhaps even by just providing employees with first aid manuals or Procedure Packs which they can read and refer back to.

As they say, knowledge is power and the knowledge of basic first aid can make the difference between life and death. Knowing how to react and how to treat injuries can play a vital role in preventing an injury or illness from becoming fatal in and out of the workplace. Having first aid skills is obviously the primary requirement but having access to the correct first aid kit is also important. First aid kits contain various product mixes and first aid administrators need to understand the uses of the various components.

The UK’s leading online supplier of first aid equipment, First Aid Warehouse supply a varied range of high quality, specialised first aid kits and first aid and medical consumables such as bandages, dressings, gloves and resuscitation aids. First Aid Warehouse also stock a selection of up-to-date first aid guidance manuals and books which make ideal companions for first aid kits and company first aid personnel.

Shopping online with First Aid Warehouse is a simple and secure method of purchasing essential first aid products, diagnostic equipment and other Medical Equipment that is delivered direct to the door. The highest quality at the lowest prices are offered to the general public, private companies and medical professionals alike.

Emergencies happen. And when they happen to you and you are unprepared, it can be a moment of panic like no other. And while a first aid course is often required for those who work in certain capacities – in a school for instance – more and more people who are not required to do so are enrolling themselves in a first aid course. Through this course they achieve a level of education and preparedness that will put them in control should an emergency ever arise.

Each first aid course has its own set of offerings. A basic first aid course will give you the ABC’s of treating most minor injuries including burns, abrasions, and bruises. Additionally, a general first aid course will teach you the guidelines of poison control, choking procedures, first response to broken bones – while waiting for emergency services to arrive, and a number of other general information.

A more comprehensive first aid course will offer more information on a specific subject. For instance, a CPR first aid course will teach you how to assess vital signs in a life threatening situation. Additionally, such a first aid course instructs participants on how to deliver lifesaving first aid such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, chest compressions, and when available, application of an automated external defibrillator.

If you are involved in a particular activity on a consistent basis – such as a specific sport – then you can find a first aid course geared towards safety on the field. A sport first aid course will teach sport participants how to assess the severity of injuries and treat minor injuries sustained during play.

For those looking towards a job as a lifeguard, you are required to take a first aid course in addition to the swimming courses necessary for the job. This particular first aid course will focus on those dangers surrounding the waters – whether pool, lake, or ocean – and educate participants on lifesaving techniques and tending to more minor injuries.

For the littlest members of our community there is a first aid course especially for them; a first aid course that focuses on administering care to infants who have sustained an injury or are in need of lifesaving first aid. This can be particularly useful for new parents or even parents who need a refresher course. In addition, this particular first aid course is recommended for babysitters.

To find a first aid course near you call your local Red Cross; they will be able to tell you where to find a local first aid course. Additionally, hospitals often offer first aid courses as part of a community education plan. For more information on dates and times of first aid courses, check online.

Emergencies may be inevitable, but being prepared can help you navigate them with confidence. Knowledge is power. Find a first aid course and make sure you have the power.

For easy to understand, in depth information about first aid visit our ezGuide 2 First aid.