Arco clears up first aid with expert guide
12 Nov 2012
There are now two main bodies providing recommendations on good practice for first aid provision in the UK.
In response to this, Arco, the UK’s leading supplier of safety equipment and workwear, has published the Expert Guide to First Aid Kits and Training in the Workplace to help guide businesses to the right kit and training for them.
The Expert Guide has been developed to help businesses make decisions on the most suitable first aid kits by providing advice on current regulations and advising on the contents and size of kits required, plus showing the difference between the British Standard kit and the kit based on the Health & Safety Executive’s recommendations.
The guide will also help businesses determine how many trained first aiders are needed on site and to what standard they will need to be trained.
Currently the Health & Safety Executive and British Standard are providing recommendations on good practice for first aid provision in the workplace.
The Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 Approved Code of Practice and Guidance from the HSE, sets out the essential aspects of first aid that employers have to address, including the provision of equipment, facilities and the appropriate number of trained persons.
The recently revised British Standard BS8599 BS8599-1 ‘Workplace First Aid Kits. Specification for the Contents of Workplace First Aid Kits’ recommends appropriate first aid equipment and consumables for today’s workplace.
The revision of the British Standard saw a new first aid kit on the market that has caused some confusion over what is needed in order to be compliant.
Arco advises businesses not to worry and that they do not need to buy new kits if the current first aid kits meet the workplace’s needs. Arco has outlined the differences in its Expert Guide to help businesses chose the kit that’s right for them.
In the Republic of Ireland the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) legislates and makes recommendations on first aid kits and on the number of trained persons required.
