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HazardCo understands that on-site first aid is about more than just sending someone on a course every few years. As an employer or contractor on-site, you have a legal and moral obligation to make sure your team has access to first aid equipment and facilities, as well as access to trained first aiders.

To determine the necessary level of first aid for your workplace, assess the site by considering:

• The type of work being done
• Identified hazards (think sources of harm, physical, energy, chemical)
• Site size and location (if it does go wrong, could we easily respond?)
• Number of people on-site and any vulnerable workers 
• Conduct a first aid risk assessment to identify facilities, equipment, and training.  

Don’t forget to involve your workers in the process, and if you are working with multiple trades, or are the main contractor, you should share information and work together cooperatively.

First Aid Kits 

Having a kit on a construction site is essential to quickly address injuries and medical emergencies. Great first aid kits can be sourced from many places – a basic kit should at least include equipment to manage:

• cuts, scratches, punctures, grazes, and splinters
• soft tissue sprains and strains
• minor burns
• broken bones
• eye injuries
• shock

Basic first aid kits are not always enough given the nature of construction work and increased risk of eye injury, cuts, falls etc, so you’ll need to consider what other equipment to add e.g. eye pads, eyewash, additional dressings and bandages.

Include your team and see if they think your first aid kit is sufficient for the sites hazards and team size. Make sure they know who the trained first aider is and where the first aid kit is kept!  Make sure your first aid kit is clearly labeled and is made from a material that can protect the contents from dust, moisture and contamination. 

Lastly, assign someone to be in charge of replenishing the kit. Make sure this happens regularly and keep a list of what’s supposed to be in the kit to make topping it up easier. At the same time, check training is up to date for your first aiders, and if your team size has changed, whether you still have enough team members trained in first aid.

Keeping first aid up to date is the right thing to do by your team, so make sure you’ve got things covered and that you’re all prepared if any sort of injury takes place.

If you have any questions please get in touch with the HazardCo Team