First Aid Preparation

First Aid Preparation

Welcome to another HSI Safe in 60.

Picture this: It's 2 PM on a Tuesday.

Your coworker just sliced their hand open.

A deep cut that's bleeding heavily.

You've got maybe five minutes before they need serious medical attention.

You run to the first aid kit.

What do you need in there?

First, sterile gauze pads, the big 4-inch by 4-inch ones. You need gauze rolls and adhesive tape to secure everything.

PPE—that's personal protective equipment, will protect you. Today, we'll want non-latex gloves. Another day might call for a CPR mask with goggles or a face shield.

For serious bleeding like this, regular gauze likely won't do. You'll need pressure bandages and clotting dressings. Maybe even a commercial tourniquet, if it's really bad.

If you need to cut through clothing, you'll need scissors or trauma shears.

An emergency blanket helps with shock.

And keep an instruction card, too, so you're not left wondering what to do with all this stuff.

A copy of your emergency action plan will remind you who to contact.

If you open your first-aid kit, and just find band-aids with cartoon characters on them?

That's a problem. It's probably not even legal.

In the United States, OSHA requires your kit to match your workplace's size and hazards.

Construction sites, hospitals, and offices all have different needs, and their kits will need to reflect that.

Check the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to make sure you're complying with the requirements for your industry.

It also has to be easily accessible. Your kit can't help you if you can't find it.

Stock your kit for your worst day, not your everyday.

That's it for this safety minute.

Your safety is always worth the extra minute.