A work health and safety program should be an integral part of your company culture.
Yet a 2020 report shows that:
- only 13% of employers comply with the First Aid national code of practice
- only 65% of employers are even aware of their First Aid code obligations
- less than 50% of workplaces even offer First Aid training to employees, meaning that
- only 31% of Australian workers can respond to a workplace first aid emergency with confidence.
In addition to training, workplaces should have the appropriate first aid equipment.
A worker typically spends a third of their day working where unexpected health-threatening incidents can and do occur.
It is, therefore, essential that your workplace has an accessible and well-equipped first aid kit to mitigate injuries and keep the situation under control while awaiting more advanced care to arrive.
5 Things you need for your basic first aid kit
While workplace first aid kits come in many different shapes and sizes, there are certain essential components you should always keep on hand.
As a leading provider of workplace safety solutions, Integrity Health & Safety has compiled a comprehensive list of workplace first aid kit essentials to assist you with your first aid arrangements.
1. Bandages and tapes
First aid band-aids and bandages with a variety of sizes and shapes as well as latex-free first aid tapes should be present in your first aid kit as they are the most commonly used item in any first aid situation.
You may also want to consider adding latex-free elastic wraps and triangular slings for strapping and binding joint injuries.
2. Antiseptics and cleansers
Antiseptic wipes and cleansers are crucial for cleaning and sterilising cuts and wounds. Hand sanitisers must also be present so first aid responders can disinfect themselves before administering first aid.
3. Cold packs and pain medications
Stock cold packs to immediately alleviate pain for strains, sprains, bruises, and bumps and reduce swelling. You should also stock over the counter pain medications, like aspirin/paracetamol to help relieve pain.
4.Instruments like tweezers and scissors
Tweezers and scissors come in handy for removing ticks, splinters, insect stingers, intrusion of foreign objects in the mouth/throat, and similar. They are also useful for handling and cutting first aid tapes and gauzes.
5. Automated external defibrillator (AED)
Portable defibrillators are life saving devices in cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Placing an AED in your workplace can reduce the risks of fatality from SCA.
In instances of an SCA, ventricular fibrillation or the uncoordinated heart rhythm is most often responsible. It is important to note that defibrillation, via a defibrillator is the only way to actually restore a fatal heart rhythm back to normal.
A defibrillator can make the difference between life and death
The case for having an AED in the workplace has never been stronger.
In Australia, cardiovascular disease takes a life every twelve minutes and accounts for one in four deaths. A study by Liz Paratz, researcher and cardiologist at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, reveals that less than 10% of the 20,000+ Australians who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
However, with a defibrillator close at hand, and the application of CPR, survival can increase from less than 10% to over 60%!
Importantly, any untrained bystander can use a defibrillator as the more advanced models talk you through the process as well as give feedback and coaching on improving the application of CPR.
Integrity Health & Safety: leading supplier of defibrillators in Australia
At Integrity Health & Safety, a Supply Nation certified Indigenous owned business, we strive to be an ethical, sustainable and socially responsible company that provides our clients with leading WH&S products and services while leveraging these relationships to support and improve Indigenous health care capability.
Using our many years’ experience as Paramedics and Healthcare workers, we are able to advise on best practice for defibrillators as part of your home, community or workplace first aid kit preparedness and help to empower your staff to feel confident to act in an emergency.
Comments are closed.