Seton Australia - Choosing a Suitable First Aid Kit

Choosing the right First Aid kit for your workplace may not be as straight forward as one would think. Due to the various state legislative requirements, acts and guidelines, nailing down the exact requirement can be a difficult task.

When selecting a First Aid Kit the most important elements to consider are;

• Size of the workplace. Eg. Number Of Employees. This is an obvious but important issue. The more people that you employ, the more First Aid equipment should be available and on hand for an emergency. View your states legislation.
• Type of business. Naturally depending on the business, this can also govern what First Aid Kit is needed. An office area for example presents far less hazards then a construction or a mining site. With this in mind you can make a decision what kit to buy and how many are needed. The other aspect of the business that should be considered is, should the kit be fixed (wall mounted), portable, soft bag, etc. To use our office example again, a wall mounted kit is usually a good idea as it keeps the kit central and easy to find. However on a mining site, a wall mounted kit may be not be possible or simply impractical.
• Dangerous Chemicals/Products. If your workplace sells or uses dangerous chemicals/products, specialised First Aid equipment may be necessary. Some chemicals present respiratory hazards for example and it may pay to have extra CPR related equipment on hand. In these cases it is best to read the products Material Safety Data Sheets.
• State legislation. Give your state legislation a good read. Using the guides or codes of practice documents you should be able to determine what is needed at your workplace.
  

Within the NSW OH&S regulation a code/class system is used which relates to a First Aid Kit and its contents. The regulation specify's what type of kit is required depending on size and industry. This is an excellent reference point for NSW businesses. At Seton we use this First Aid kit class system where ever possible.

For the other states/territories unfortunately their respective regulations are not as clear cut. To cater for these other states, Seton has designed a National First Aid Kit that covers all states (depending on the number of employees and industry). The National kit can can cover workplaces up to 100 employees and depending on the nature of the business. View the National First Aid Kit and see if this kit "fits" your workplace.

The table below provides you with some general guide lines to use when selecting a Seton First Ad Kit for your business.