You may not know this, but every workplace in Victoria must have an appropriate first aid kit.
The Worksafe Victoria First Aid Compliance Code requires employers to provide a safe working environment and adequate facilities. You simply cannot be compliant with the code without providing a first aid kit for your staff. The code applies even to small workplaces of under 10 staff or ‘micro-businesses’ particularly if they are considered ‘high risk’ workplaces.
So, if you have to have a first aid kit in your workplace, what would be an “appropriate” one?
Well, that can depend on a number of factors such as:
- What sort of work does your business undertake and are there any particular hazards?
- How many employees do you have?
- Where is your business located?
If your business runs a factory, workshop, vehicle garage or is involved in construction, there are much greater risks to your employees of serious injuries than if you just run an office. Same would be true of a laboratory or medical facilities where chemical or bio-hazard risks exist.
In these sorts of settings a small kit with a few band-aids, some antiseptic cream and a pair of tweezers is not going to do the job. You actually need a large first aid kit that is full of all the kinds of specialised medical supplies you need to handle the accidents and injuries that are likely to occur.
The number of employees you have generally dictates the overall size of the kit. If you have 100+ employees on site, you are definitely going to need at least one of the larger wall mounted type first aid kits or even more. These come in a lockable metal case and contain a large number of supplies to cover most needs.
Location of your business can also be a big factor in deciding which kit you should have. If you are in a rural or remote area, far from medical care or hospitals, you naturally would need a bigger, better kit due to the time it would take for an ambulance to reach you if there was a serious injury or if you needed to get someone to hospital or a doctor.
At Results First Aid, we can help you decide which First Aid Kit is right for your business. And if you have special or particular needs, we can custom make one up just for your business.
But there’s one thing that’s even more important than having a first aid kit in your business. And that’s keeping it well-stocked. There is nothing worse than having an accident or injury on site and then discovering when you go to the kit that the very item you need has run out.
So, appointing someone to be in charge of doing a regular inspection of the kit and ordering top up supplies should be the most important thing you do, after your order your first aid kit.
To find out more, call 1300 661 065 or visit resultsfirstaid.com.au
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