First Aid Equipment

To decide what first aid equipment is needed an assessment needs has been carried out. Once assessed you can decide what first aid equipment should be provided in the workplace. The minimum level of first aid equipment is a suitably stocked first aid kit. There are many different types of kits, industrial first aid kits, commercial first aid kits, depending on the business or industry you may need first aid for burns or emergency eye wash, it is your assessment that will indicate what you will need. If mains tap water is not readily available for eye irrigation, at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9%) in sealed, disposable containers should be provided.

If the assessment requires your business to provide eye wash and shower facilities the below will apply:

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was enacted to make sure workers were provided with safe working conditions. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has two different types of regulations, general and specific, which apply to emergency eye wash and shower equipment.

A general requirement is the first type of regulation and is for emergency eye wash and shower equipment. The below applies:

“Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.”

This general regulation is applicable to all facilities that require the installation of emergency eye wash and shower equipment as a form of first aid. [29 CFR 1910.151 (c)]

The second type of regulation applies to specific industries which do the below:

“Activities Utilizing an Open Surface Tank, Storage and Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, Powered Industrial Trucks, Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing, Telecommunications, and Hazardous Materials.”

These two types of OSHA regulations specify where and when emergency eye wash and shower equipment must be available. These regulations do not specify minimum operating requirements or installation set-up requirements.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 do not oblige employers to provide first aid for members of the public. However, many organisations provide a service for others, for example shops and places of entertainment, and HSE strongly recommends that employers include the public and others on their premises when making their assessment of first aid needs.

See also:

Disclaimer: Business Health & Safety UK have provided this advice on the basis that the content and advice contained within these documents is to the best of our knowledge accurate at the time of publication. The Business Safety Company does not accept any liability for the accuracy of the information provided in the above' and website pages.