Here at Esidirect, we are aware of the high number of accidents that happen to the workers, especially while doing their job in the workplace, building sites, or construction sites. That is why we have decided to help you by providing a step-by-step list of how to best implement a first aid program in your workplace. We believe that this list will help improve the work safety in your workplace, thus increasing the productivity of your workers and your business.

• Step one. Form an Occupational Health & Safety Committee. Even if the committee just consists of one person, having a safety officer is important. A safety officer serves as the main channel in which other workers can freely express their concerns regarding potential hazards or safety issues in the workplace. It is highly recommended that the committee members have completed a First Aid training or are willing to carry out First Aid training in the future. They also need to be well familiar with the business and the premises. A regular meeting should be scheduled by the members. It is the committee’s responsibility to discuss and communicate the safety around the workplace, the employees, and the management. This, in turn will help the business to develop a safety conscious culture.

• Step two. Identify potential hazards. Certain type of business provides a certain type of hazards. Have a look around the premise and always be conscious about any changes that might cause unintentional harm to the workers.

• Step three. Handle and eliminate the risk. This can be as simple as rearranging the layout of the workplace. Also, provide first aid training and equipment (e.g. first aid kits) and make sure that the first aid kits / boxes are accessible and reachable anytime.

The number of First Aid equipments depends on the size of the business, the number of employees, and the industry.

Additional steps that can be taken to further improve your workplace safety:
• Accommodate safety inductions for new employees.
• Keep a record of accidents or near misses to help identify the potential problems in the workplace. Keep the record as detailed as possible.
• Provide first aid training and support. Depending on the size of the business, the management might be required by law to provide all the necessary training for the employees. This might seem expensive initially, but the cost of the training is very small compared to serious and major emergencies or a loss of life.

 

 

There are a variety of legislative requirements and guidelines that might dictate what needs to be inside the First Aid Kits. However, when first selecting a First Aid Kit, there are basic factors that need to be considered.

a) The size of the workforce. The more people your business has, the more First Aid equipments should be prepared.

b) The nature of the business. A construction area is definitely far more hazardous than an office area, thus will need more first aid equipments or even need to have a specific first aid kit. The logistic of the kits also need to be taken into consideration, whether it should be mounted on the wall, packed and ready in a bag, or whether it should be portable. A portable first aid kit is definitely better in a mining site than in an office area.

c) Hazardous products. If your business uses or sells a product that are hazardous, such as chemicals, a specialised first aid kit need to be prepared in case of emergency. It might be worth it to have CPR related equipments when working with chemicals that present respiratory hazards. Please read your Material Safety Data Sheets for more accurate information.

d) Read and follow the state legislation below for first aid kits requirements.

At Esidirect, we provide first aid kits that comply with all Australian State rules and guidelines. We even supply first aid kits that are specific to each state. 

 

Disclaimer: We aim to provide all the information on this page to be as accurate as we can reasonably make it. However, they are general and might not be totally applicable to your business. In addition, there are a number of private companies which offer setting up a safety committee and OH&S services in the market. Make sure you do your own complete and comprehensive research on how relevant the information is to your own business or situation.