In 2011, the British Standard Institution published the British Standard for workplace first aid kits, BS 8599-1:2011. This standard has now been reviewed and a new standard, BS 8599-1:2019, has been published.

The contents of your workplace first aid kit should be guided by your first aid needs assessment, which should take into account the level of hazards and number of employees in your workplace environment. Members of the public also fall under the Health and Safety Executive's recommendation to offer a duty of care to people on your premises.

Your risk assessment should be used to identify which first aid kit you need. This will depend on your type of workplace (whether it is high-risk, such as a warehouse, or low-risk, such as an office), and how many people the first aid kit is for.

Some workplaces will require specialist first aid kits. For example, if you work in a catering environment, a catering first aid kit will contain blue plasters and tape to be easily visible.

The first aid standard is for:

• buyers of first aid kits;
• manufacturers of first aid kits;
• anyone compiling the contents of a first aid kit;
• procurers of kits for employers; and
• anyone, in any industry or workplace environment, with responsibilities for workplace safety, such as health and safety officers, HR managers, CEOs, office managers and operations managers.

The Standard details the components required in small, medium, large, travel and personal issue first aid kits and critical injury packs for use in workplace environments. It also gives requirements for the container holding the components.

The standard contains two key tables: one covering what should be contained in a workplace first aid kit and one providing information on the appropriate size of the first aid kit for the workplace environment.

Such kits encourage those responsible for first aid kits to build a comprehensive kit for common workplace first aid requirements. These promote employer and employee safety and help first aiders and emergency responders to provide treatment advice based on available resources.

The standard also supports the requirement for all employers to have first aid kits in the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 – although this standard’s use is not mandatory.

What’s changed since the last update?
Two principal changes have been made since the 2011 standard was published:

• Personal issue kit and critical injury pack categories have been added to the list; and
• The travel kit has been altered to match the medium vehicle kit covered in the revision of BS 8599-2:2014.

For more information or to purchase the standard, click here.