First Aid Cabinets/Stations

Ideal for bulk storage of first aid, supplied empty or complete with a comprehensive BS8599-1 Compliant First Aid Kit. Our range includes a variety of sizes and ranges from basic lockable cabinets to controlled drug storage cabinets compliant with BS2881:1989.

First Aid Rooms

The need for a dedicated first aid room in a premises is determined by the specific regulations and guidelines set out in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and the associated guidance provided in document L74.

First Aid rooms are required in the following circumstances:

High-Risk Environments

Workplaces with significant hazards, such as those involving dangerous machinery, hazardous substances, or high-risk activities, may require a dedicated first aid room to ensure immediate and effective treatment of injuries.

Large Workforces

Premises with a large number of employees are more likely to need a first aid room to accommodate the potential frequency and severity of incidents.

Complex Work Sites

Sites with complex layouts or those spread over a large area may benefit from a first aid room to provide a central, easily accessible location for medical treatment.

Specific Health Needs

If employees have particular health needs that require more substantial first aid facilities, a dedicated room may be necessary to provide appropriate care.

Requirements for a First Aid Room

If a first aid room is deemed necessary, it should meet the following criteria as outlined in document L74:

Accessibility

The room should be easily accessible to stretchers and those with mobility issues.

Facilities

It should include a couch or bed, a sink with hot and cold running water, and necessary first aid equipment and supplies.

Hygiene

The room must be well-lit, ventilated, and maintained in a clean and orderly condition.

Privacy

Provision for privacy, such as screens or curtains, is essential to ensure dignity and confidentiality for the casualty.

Communication

The room should have a means of communication to summon additional help if needed.

As with all first aid facilities – it should be clearly signposted, easy to locate and access.

First Aid Kits & Refills

First aid kits should be clearly marked, visible, easily accessible and contain appropriate supplies based on the workplace's specific needs following a risk assessment.

All first aid supplies should be compliant with relevant safety standards and carry the appropriate CE or UKCA markings, which ours do.

Key points include:

Maintenance

First aid kits should be regularly checked to ensure they are fully stocked and all items are within their expiry dates, particularly sterile ones. It is recommended that sufficient back-up supplies are always held on site to ensure continuity of provisions.

Location

Kits should be placed where they are easily accessible, such as in communal areas, near workstations, and in vehicles if employees are mobile. They must be clearly visible and signposted with a ‘first aid kit’ sign nearby.

Contents & Size

Depending on the outcome of a risk assessment, contents may need to comply with BS 8599-1:2019, which provides guidelines for different sizes of first aid kits (small, medium, large, and travel), in order to be sufficient. Basic items typically include adhesive plasters, sterile dressings, triangular bandages, safety pins, disposable gloves, antiseptic wipes, adhesive tape, scissors, and a resuscitation face shield – as stipulated in the HSE’s L74 document.

Specialised Equipment & Types Of Kit

Depending on the workplace risks, additional items such as burn dressings, eyewash solutions, bleed control products, and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) may be necessary.

1. Maintenance

An appointed person or trained first aider should be responsible for maintaining the kits.

Key aspects to check in a first aid kit include ensuring the container is free from damage, verifying adhesive items have not lost their stickiness, inspecting metal objects for rust, and examining dressings, bandages, and plasters for any signs of fraying or tears. Regularly checking these components ensures that the first aid supplies remain in good condition and effective in an emergency.

2. Location

Employers must inform all employees about the location of first aid kits and the names of first aiders or appointed persons, ideally using compliant signage.

First aid kits can be mounted on the wall, placed on a countertop, or stored in a cabinet. Installing clearly visible first aid stations nearby can also make the kits easier to locate.

However, when wall-mounting a first aid kit, consider that it may be challenging to bring the equipment to an immobile casualty quickly. Therefore, it might be necessary to position additional kits throughout the area to ensure equipment is easily accessible to all.

Additionally, consider the surrounding work activities or equipment when choosing a location for your first aid kits. Avoid placing them in areas with high temperatures or where work activities produce debris, as these conditions could compromise the integrity of the kits and their contents.

Staff responsible for first aid must receive appropriate training to ensure they can use the equipment effectively.

3. Contents & Size

The number of kits as well as the nature and amount of contents must reflect the risks identified during a first aid risk assessment.

Within official HSE guidance, there is a minimum contents list for low-risk activities (for example, desk-based work), a minimum first aid kit might contain:

a leaflet with general guidance on first aid (for example, HSE's leaflet Basic advice on first aid at work
individually wrapped sterile plasters of assorted sizes
sterile eye pads
individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
safety pins
large and medium-sized sterile, individually wrapped, unmedicated wound dressings
disposable gloves

BS-8599-1 is the British Standard to specify the contents of First Aid Kits in the workplace, which is more extensive than the above minimum list.

Kits do not need to comply to BS-8599 by law, however the standard has specifically been developed as part of a modern approach to what is considered to be a suitable range of products in the workplace of today.

Factors such as new technologies in product development, different types of injury & risk, alterations to training protocols as well as an increased awareness of infection control have resulted in the basic content list above no longer being suitable for a typical modern workplace.

This standard will bring workplace first aid kits in line with other safety products such as hard hats and fire extinguishers.

Once a British Standard exists, if an employer chooses not to follow it, and then an employee has an accident, then the employer's legal defence would be very weak in any negligence claim.

For example; a formal risk assessment of any modern workplace would identify the risk of scalding from a boiling kettle, yet kits with only minimum contents do not contain burns dressings which are proven to reduce pain, scarring and infection complications an employer will now be liable for if they have failed to provide sufficient first aid supplies for treatment.

The old and more primitive 'HSE' system specified the correct choice of first aid kit based on the number of employees it needed to cover. This approach, however, did not take into consideration the level of risk present in a workplace. Use the table below as a guide to choosing your size of BS-8599-1 compliant first aid kit. The table below can be used as a guide to find the right sized of first aid kit for you:

First Aid Stations & Points

Our extensive range of first aid stations and points enable workplaces to offer a central point for first aid supplies and accessories, which not only visibly demonstrates a commitment to meeting health and safety obligations, but reassures and protects everyone on site.

Our range includes:

Individual First Aid Points

These brightly coloured wall points correspond to the type of supplies they provide and are ideal for combining several into one central point. An elegant solution to wall mounting supplies whilst also ensuring they are visible and accessible – as per HSE first aid obligations.

First Aid Stations

These larger stations combine essential first aid supplies with additional products such as eyewash and accident books, as well as guidance on first aid procedures. Also an effective solution to wall mounting supplies whilst also ensuring they are visible and accessible.

Emergency Care Stations

Create an easy to identify focal point for your emergency kits in your workplace and combine multiple first aid points into a consolidated station.

Glow In The Dark First Aid Points

We also offer a range of best selling first aid kits, stations and points made from highly visible Glow In The Dark materials.

First Aid must legally be clearly marked, visible and accessible at all times, including for incidents that may be at night or involve a loss of power, both of which are common. Most first aid kits would not be able to be easily located in such instances, but our Glow In The Dark first aid products are made using Class B photoluminescent materials – the same kind that photoluminescent emergency signs are made from, to show that you have considered this and gone further to meet your first aid obligations and protect those on site. This extra protection represents a minimal additional investment but could prove critical if there is an onsite incident in low light and time is of the essence to treat any casualties.