Consider the following situation: A newly hired employee at your company trips over a rope and falls down a little staircase. Other employees see the ruckus and rush to assist the worker, who has suffered a significant injury to her arm. While some people use napkins to stop the bleeding, no one can seem to find a first aid box with gauze, bandages, and other vital first aid products that could help control the bleeding until medical personnel arrive.
This hypothetical situation has the potential to quickly escalate into a catastrophic medical emergency.
First aid kits can play a significant role in decreasing the severity of workplace accidents. A tiny wound from an accident may only require a few stitches in workplaces that have a full first aid kit on standby.
However, without a first aid kit on hand, the same trauma could result in excessive bleeding, a severe loss of blood, shock, and significant long-term health concerns for the employee. This not only jeopardizes the health and well-being of your personnel, but it can also significantly raise workers’ compensation claims, which can cost your organization money.
In this brief post, we will look at the significance of having a workplace first aid kit.
The advantages of a first aid kit in the workplace
A modest first aid kit can provide a variety of essential workplace benefits. To begin with, a well-stocked first aid bag can save lives in the event of a dangerous accident.
You can also help to minimize recovery periods when accidents and injuries occur by training others to use your first aid equipment.
Proper first aid treatment can cut down on lost time and money, increasing productivity and saving your firm money.
Given that workplace accidents can occur in nearly any sort of work environment, businesses would do well to design a complete first aid kit and first aid program that addresses the specific hazards that can be reasonably predicted to arise in the event of an injury.
Summary
Consider the following additional factors:
According to the same rule, the products listed above are appropriate for a small company of 2-3 individuals. Make sure you have enough supplies and complete first aid kits to match the amount of staff.
Distribute first-aid kits throughout your facilities so that one is always nearby.
Consider adding more products to your first-aid kit. Latex-free (vinyl or nitrile) gloves, for example, are essential for people who are allergic to latex. Another example is break-open cold packs. Assume that the person who went down the stairs in our first scenario has a severely sprained ankle. The use of a cold pack would be necessary for the immediate reduction of edema. (Always use the manufacturer’s provided sleeve or some kind of barrier—cloth, paper towels, etc.—between the cold pack and your skin.)