What to Put in a Basic First Aid Kit

First Aid Kits are an important part of your home, business, workplace and car, but it can be hard to know what to put in one. In a basic first aid kit, you should include:

• Plasters – in different shapes and sizes.
• Bandages – including triangular and crepe.
• Sterile Dressings, including sterile eye dressings, in a range of sizes.
• Micropore Tape for securing bandages and dressings.
• Gloves.
• Alcohol-Free Wipes, like these ones.
• Scissors.
• Pins.
• Aluminium Blanket.
• Painkillers.
• Cream for stings and bites

A basic first aid kit with this inside should be able to help you deal with minor accidents and injuries. However, there are other factors to consider when buying a first aid kit. This starts with knowing what first aid kit is best for you.

Start Here

It is first important to know where the first aid kit is for. This is crucial because a catering business will require a different first aid kit to your workplace or home, for example.

If your kit is for a business, you might require a first aid assessment which will gauge what kit you require to adhere to certain government-set standards.

If you’re not sure how this applies to you, head to HSE’S Health and Safety Made Simple which outlines the basics for your business. Remember that if you do not comply to the correct measures you risk being issued verbal or written advice issue or an improvement or prohibition notice by Health and Safety officers – who can turn up announced.

Pre-Made for Businesses

If you’re still after a basic first aid kit for your business, it might be best to go pre-made to ensure you’re meeting those all-important standards. (If you’re not a business, you can skip this bit.)

Many of these ready-to-go first aid kits are made with British Standards or HSE in mind, so you can rest assured that you’re complying to important standards.

If you’re in Catering, a Blue Masterchef HSE Compliant Catering First Aid Kit for 10, 20 or 50 employees might be suited to your business, as it is designed with HSE Basic Food Hygiene in mind.

Alternatively, a Small British Standard Compliant BS-8599-1 Workplace First Aid Kit could be the basic first aid kit you’re after if you’re working in a low risk area with 1-25 employees.

Size

If you’re not a business, or just looking to create your own basic first aid kit, pick an empty container that suits your needs.

A first aid box or grab bag is good for stable locations, like your home, whereas a small pouch is more suited for a car.

A bum bag is also a good option if you’re on the go.

Basics

You’ve got your container, now you need the contents. To cover the basics, we’d recommend the following:

• Plasters – in different shapes and sizes.
• Bandages – including triangular and crepe.
• Sterile Dressings, including sterile eye dressings, in a range of sizes.
• Micropore Tape for securing bandages and dressings.
• Gloves
• Alcohol-Free Wipes, like these ones.
• Scissors
• Pins
• Aluminium Blanket
• Painkillers
• Cream for stings and bites

Additional Items

Some additional items that we’d recommend are:

• Burn Gels or Burn Dressings – but you can have a separate first aid kit for burns if you’d like.
• A Thermometer
• Sterile Tweezers
• Flashlight and batteries.

For an extensive list of what else you can include in your basic first aid kit, please refer to the St John’s Ambulance or NHS website.

Pre-Made

If you’d rather get a pre-made kit to ensure everything is covered, that’s available too.

See this Lone Person Kit, Motorist First Aid Kit or Travel First Aid Kit & Eyewash for a First Aid Kit designed for specific on-the-go situations.

If you’re looking for something else to cover all your basic first kit needs, this Small First Aid Kit British Standard Compliant BS-8599-1 Workplace First Aid Kit is more than ideal.

Maintenance

Whatever First Aid Kit you go for, make sure to regularly review it. To find out how and how often to do this, read our guide on How Often Should a First Aid Kit Be Checked? here.

Finally, remember to keep your First Aid Kit locked and in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children.