emergency kit

No tool is more valuable in an emergency situation than a first aid kit. However, they are an oft-forgotten office item, despite being so necessary. First aid training courses in the Gold Coast area provide vital information on how to use everyday objects in emergencies, but it’s always better to have a proper first aid kit at your disposal in times of need. Acquaint yourself with your office’s first aid kit, and check if the following items are present:

 

  1. Gauze Pads – Gauze pads help seal wounds, staunch bleeding, and prevent them from getting infected. Make sure the gauze pads in your office first aid kit come in multiple sizes and types. This is to ensure that they can cover wounds of any size and location.
  2. Box Adhesive Bandages – These cover minor scratches and burns, protecting them from debris and bacteria. Make sure they also come in multiple sizes.
  3. Gauze Roller Bandages – These bandages are super versatile. They can supplement gauze pads in controlling bleeding, and can be sturdy enough to support broken limbs and sprains. They can also be used for pressure immobilisation technique for snake bite management.
  4. Wound-cleaning supplies – This includes moist towelettes, cotton balls, antiseptic, and rubbing alcohol. Cleaning wounds is crucial; infected wounds can quickly escalate to infections, sepsis, and gangrene.
  5. Scissors – First aid procedures often require quick application of bandages and gauzes, so having a pair of scissors to quickly cut through bandages or clothing materials is essential.
  6. Adhesive tapes – Some gauzes need to be taped in place to be secure, so a good roll of medical tape in your first aid kit is handy.
  7. Tweezers – Tweezers are especially helpful for extracting splinters and other debris.
  8. Splint – In case the victim breaks a limb, a splint can help keep it in place before paramedics arrive.
  9. A blanket – This is useful in case of weather-related emergencies, where plummeting temperatures can endanger the health of people involved. A thermal foil blanket should be present in your first aid kit to help regulate body temperature to casualty when experiencing the symptoms of shock.
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It’s easy to forget about first aid kits once they’re tossed into a closet. However, they require constant maintenance and the contents should always be replenished after every use. Here are a few tips you should keep in mind to make sure your first aid supplies are managed properly:

 

  • Make sure that the first aid kits are easily and readily accessible. Employees should know where the first aid supplies are and when and how to access them in the event of an emergency.
  • Place the first aid kits in an area where they are easily accessible but are kept from exposure to heat, cold, and other damaging external factors.
  • Check on the first aid supplies in the kits at least once a month. You can even time these checks to regular inventory checks in the office so you won’t forget. This step ensures that the kit is included in regular office routine.
  • Consider adding extra supplies in the first aid kit following authorisation from your workplace authorised medical physician such as over-the-counter pain medications, epi-pens, and emergency allergy medication, but warn your workers of the risks and consequences of using these products outside of emergency events.

 

Putting together a first aid kit in your office is a necessity; many people spend much of their time in the workplace, so it is expected that workplace emergencies and injuries could happen anytime. There shouldn’t be just one kit, but multiple first aid kits placed evenly throughout the office. However, this is only effective if the whole office knows the situations that call for using the first aid kits properly, so you should also have an emergency plan in place, as well as a team or a person who has training in applying first aid.

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