A new national standard for workplace First Aid kits has been introduced, recognising their importance and effectiveness.

In 2009/10, 26,061 workers were injured sufficiently badly to require them to take more than three days off work. The first seconds after an accident are critical and well trained first aiders and medical professionals are, in many cases, able to minimise the effect of an accident to a casualty if appropriate first aid equipment is readily available.

Legislation requires employers to ensure that first aid kits are readily available in the workplace and of the right composition to meet their needs following their own risk assessment. However, current Workplace First Aid Kit contents were last reviewed over 14 years ago in 1997. Since then there have been extensive changes in training protocol, new product innovations and increasing infection control.

With this in mind, a new national standard for workplace First Aid kits in the UK has been introduced by the British Standards Institute (BSi). It follows extensive work by the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) in cooperation with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The new kits now include increased quantities of products identified as insufficient, including plasters and wipes; new additions include scissors/shears, burns dressings, foil survival blankets, resuscitation face shield, nitrile gloves, and adhesive tape. Quantities of other items have been reduced to keep the overall size of kits broadly similar to the existing ones.

The new BSi workplace first aid kit standard is fit for purpose, meets consumer demand, is appropriate for the modern workplace, and helps to improve and simplify selection for employers and specifiers to meet their legal and moral obligations.

Previously, with BHTA guidance, four kits had been designed based on the HSE guidelines, kit 10, 20, 50 and a travel kit. These BHTA kits have become the national standard and are almost universally adopted by both the public and private sectors.

Following the adoption of the new standard, there will continue to be four kits, now called Small, Medium, Large and Travel. The broad changes to the kit involve the following products:

Gloves. It was determined that the existing kits and HSE guidelines had insufficient quantities of gloves, given current infection control concerns. Nitrile gloves were selected in line with NHS and St John Ambulance guidelines.

Plasters and Wipes. A survey of customers indicated that a larger quantity of plasters was required.

Burns Dressings. Modern wet gel burns dressings are now much lower in price and are universally used by accident and emergency services. Given that any workplace that has a kettle has a risk for burns, this item is added. A conforming bandage is added to the kits to secure this dressing, where appropriate.

Resuscitation Device. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can present an infection risk to the patient or first aider. Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from such a risk.

Finger Dressings. A large proportion of injuries involve fingers. The old kits had only plasters to offer for treatment of such injuries, the smallest serious wound dressing was 12cm², a finger sized dressing is added to the new kits.

Adhesive Tape. Adhesive tape is added to conveniently and safely secure dressings and bandages, without the need to use safety pins. Safety pins are retained as an option, particularly for triangular bandages used as slings.

Triangular Bandages. The number of triangular bandages has been reduced reflecting the current first aid protocols that no longer indicate their use for immobilisation of lower limb injuries.

Foil Survival Blanket. Clinical shock presents a risk to life. The treatment includes keeping the casualty warm, the addition of foil survival blankets allows first aiders to treat clinical shock, where in the past they would be reliant on blankets being available.

Scissor/Shears. Where injuries occur through clothing or shoes, protocol dictates that the clothing should be cut away around the wound site to allow it to be covered with a dressing. Current first aid kits do not include the equipment to do this task, the new kits include shears that are capable of cutting leather.

The existing BHTA first aid kits will remain until the end of 2011, after which they will be withdrawn. The new BSi standard is effective from 1st July 2011. This allows for a 6 month transition period.

ENDS

Note for Editors:

The British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) is one of the UK`s oldest and largest healthcare associations (founded in 1917). Its membership - of some 400 companies employing over 17,000 people - comprises both large and small businesses across the many non-pharmaceutical and assistive technology sectors of the healthcare industry, manufacturing, supplying and serving those with special physical needs and specialist healthcare areas, too. The products they make and supply are as varied as wheelchairs and scooters, stairlifts, seating and positioning products, patient support surfaces, electronic communication devices, rehabilitation products, stoma and continence products, first aid equipment, aids and services for children and for visually impaired people, and even prosthetics and orthotics. The BHTA represents large and small companies, organised in one or more of 13 sections covering most sectors of the industry. This unique sectional structure provides a platform for all companies to have an effective voice within BHTA and, through the Association, to influence the development of healthcare policies in the UK. At the heart of our association is the Code of Practice, which sets out the standards that all members must meet to demonstrate best practice in their business dealings. The Code of Practice - the first for consumers in the healthcare industry - has achieved approval under the Office of Fair Trading's Consumer Codes Approval Scheme and means that member companies trade ethically and professionally.