Accidents can happen at any time in our life. We should be well prepared for a sudden accident. That’s why first aid is very essential in our life. We can minimize some risk factors by taking some simple steps. We should handle some medical issues which we can easily maintain by ourselves without going to the hospital. In that case, a First aid kit can help us to save from anything bad such as sudden injury of our body. The main use of the first aid kit is to stop bleeding immediately and to avoid infection and other medical complications.
Basic First aid kit Contents
Anyone should use a first aid box in home, car, and office for safety issues, we never know when we need it. We have to learn about basic knowledge of first aid. All of us should be trained in basic first aid even the office employee also should know about the process. You need to know how many kits you can use and how to use them properly, also need to know how many kits do I need in my box?
You will find first aid kit with different size if the workplace is bigger than need to choose the large size. There are so many items for first aid. Here are some important items of the checklist, this is a suggested list, you can customize items as your surroundings. You can add some extra items. Always remember that all of the items are should be fully stocked and should check those have expire date or not.
First aid Checklist:
- Antiseptic pad
- Bandages
- Gauze
- Tape
- Pads
- Cold compress
- Antiseptic cream
- Hydration salt
- Pain killer
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Thermometer
- Antiseptic wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Burn spray/cream
- Antacid
- First Aid manual
- Exam gloves
- Antibiotic cream
- Safety pin
Where Should You Keep it?
This kit is needed for you and your family. For preparing your first aid box you need concern about the medication of your family member such as any of them to have an allergy then you need to add medicine for allergy. Consult with your doctor regarding medication. This box should keep the place where it is easily accessible and but it should reach out to children. These all can be contained in a plastic box which is smaller and portable. And it shouldn’t be placed in any closed corner of the house, should be easily traceable where everyone can find it on emergency need. If there are more people in the house then the kit size will be larger. You can check the items weekly or monthly basis, those are available or stock out.
Using a first aid kit in working place is highly recommended. In restaurants or others, office employees need to know basic first aid knowledge. You can use it for traveling, keep those in a suitcase where you will go for an outing or vacation. You can also keep a kit in your car.
Types of First Aid Kit
First aid kit should be prepared for any potential emergency but the kit size and content will vary according to places such as a family, office, or other places.
Home First Aid Kit
We face some typical injuries during household activities, especially by children. In that case injuries like scrapes, cuts, burns, or bruises could be treated primarily at home. So you need all the basic kits like antiseptic (both cream and liquid), burn cream, gauge, bandages, alcohol pad, sanitizer, etc.
Industrial First Aid Kit
Large numbers of workers work in the industries and employers have to ensure the safety of the workers because potential injuries and accidents could happen all of a sudden. In this case, we should talk about heavy duty first aid kits where items are in large numbers and every possible name should be in it. In the industrial case, there should be hundreds of types of items in the box. And the kit should be in a metal box or shelf. Besides some basic kits, there are hundreds of medical handheld equipment like cold packs, eyewash, trauma dressing, aluminum splint, rescue blanket, aspirin tablets, antacid tablets, burn dressing and etc.
Office First Aid Kit
In an office or in a small business besides cuts or scrapes employees mostly face some physical health issues like sickness, headaches, blood pressure or blood sugar, etc. in that case the first aid kit contains some extra medicines like aspirin tablets, antacid tablets, antibiotic ointment, eyewash, eye pads besides regular kit like sanitizer, gauze, scissors, fingertip bandages, etc. The kit box in the office should be a portable plastic box. In recent days a portable blood pressure monitor is also a common addition to the kit box.
Restaurant First Aid Kit
Because of food service emergencies and kitchen safety, a restaurant first aid kit is different from other typical first aid. Here you have to maintain kitchen safety first because you are dealing with fire, knives, food chemicals, and other hygiene issues. So besides common items like gauges, antiseptic, and scissors, the restaurant kit box should contain burn sprays and dressings, cold packs, fingertip bandages, and of course blue bandages. Blue Bandage is a must-have kit in restaurants because it is metal detectable in case it falls on food items while preparing or serving. Restaurant first aid usually contains around a hundred items.
Sports Ground First Aid Kit
The common sports-related injuries are scrapes, cuts, and muscle pains. So first aid kit for the sports ground should contain muscle gel, athletic tape, moleskin patch, sunscreen, cold packs, sting relief, pain killer tablets, and other common items. The kit box should be lightweight and portable so that it can be carried fast and everywhere. This kit is also usable during hiking, camping, or traveling.
First Aid kit Maintenance
A first aid kit should be well organized according to your need and it should be placed somewhere easily accessible and rapidly visible. And avoid storing the kit on the floor, better mount them on top of something where is moisture free and away from pests. Every kit box should be marked “First Aid” on it clearly. Since it’s an emergency use kit and you should replace/refill it immediately after use. Some items usually have short expiry dates like the tablets, so whether use it or not you should have a routine to check the kit regularly. And the sterile items like sanitizer and antiseptics should be sealed tight every time after use.
Final Thought
Minor accident commonly occurs in our daily life besides unexpected major health issues. A proper first aid kit ensures immediate treatment which can reduce the risk. This is why maintaining a first aid kit is very important whether it is a home or large-scale business. Because it should be always ready to use.
Almost everyone should use a first aid kit to ensure safety, you will find some first aid kit in the market, those are available and inexpensive. You can make you’re your own first aid kit in that case you can ask for help from the pharmacist to select a necessary item.
Additional Resource
