First Aid Kit Locations and Contents

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate first aid equipment.
First aid kits must be located where they are easily accessible and clearly signposted with a white cross.
Construction sites require at least one first aid kit per 50 workers, plus additional kits in remote areas.
Kits must be checked weekly and restocked immediately after any item is used or reaches its expiry date.
A named person must be responsible for maintaining each first aid kit and recording inspection dates.
BS 8599-1 specifies the minimum contents for workplace first aid kits in small, medium, and large sizes.
Construction sites should supplement standard kits with burns dressings, eye wash, and foil blankets.
Vehicle-mounted first aid kits should be carried in all site vehicles operating away from the main compound.
The nearest first aid kit location must be communicated to every worker during site induction.
Empty or expired items in a first aid kit during an emergency can turn a treatable injury into a fatality.

Immediate treatment	Access to first aid equipment within minutes of an injury significantly reduces the severity of the outcome.
Legal requirement	The First-Aid Regulations 1981 make adequate first aid provision a legal obligation on all construction sites.
Remote work areas	Workers in areas far from the main compound need local kits — running to the office wastes critical time.

Do

Don't

Know the location of the nearest first aid kit to your current work area.
Check the green first aid sign is visible and not obstructed by materials.
Report any missing or expired items to the designated kit custodian immediately.
Carry a personal first aid kit if working in remote areas away from the compound.
Ensure vehicle first aid kits are stocked and checked at the start of each week.
Restock the kit immediately after any items are used to treat an injury.
Include burns dressings, eye wash, and a foil blanket in construction site kits.
Record all first aid kit inspections in the site first aid log with date signed.
Brief new workers on first aid kit locations and first aider names at induction.
Keep the kit in a clean, dry, waterproof container protected from contamination.

DON'T move the first aid kit from its designated location without informing everyone.
DON'T use first aid supplies for non-emergency purposes like cleaning hands.
DON'T lock the first aid kit in a room or vehicle that may be inaccessible.
DON'T ignore expired dressings or antiseptic wipes — they may be contaminated.
DON'T assume someone else has restocked the kit after the last incident.
DON'T rely on a single first aid kit for a large or spread-out construction site.
DON'T remove items from the kit without recording what was taken and why.
DON'T store medications such as paracetamol or ibuprofen inside the first aid kit.
DON'T place the kit somewhere visible but out of reach, such as a high shelf.
DON'T forget to update first aid kit locations when site layout changes.

See also: First Aid Response and Triage | Site Emergency Plan Awareness

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