I don't personally see the need. Most people who suffer from diabetes will already have a kit (I have 2 one at work and one at home) and will generally (but I accept not always) be able to tell whether they are approaching a hypo and take the necessary action themselves. Finger pricker systems vary and many use a cartridge that should not normally be shared. What you might do is to understand the differences in symptoms between hypos and hypers and use that as an indication of what you might need to do. Most people who suffer from diabetes where there may be a reasonable risk of a hypo/hyper, will normally let their immediate colleagues know the symptoms and what they should do. I can't see that you're likely to break a law by merely have a meter per se, although you might if you take any incorrect action as a result of using one.. I really don't see the need for your first aid room to hold such a device.

I personally feel that gluco-meter should be recommended in First Aid clinic, if you have number Diabetic employees.It could be lifesaving. Firstly Its quiet handy, User friendly, doesnt require medical knowledge to interprete result, It doesnt require prescription to use. In Diabetes the low sugar level (Hypoglyceamia) is most dangerous and can be cause of fatality, but is reversible if acknowledged earlier, this is were glucometer comes in. Non diabetic employee can also suffer from Low glucose level and which is second common cause of fatigue, restlessness after Dehydration. The negative part of the glucometer is the cost, the machine is cheap but the strips are expensive, secondly you will also need to look to dispose the lancet in sharp container and lastly misuse. But advantages outweighs the disadvantages in multitude

IMHO you should risk assess all diabetics individually as you would a wheelchair user or other disabled employee. The individuals themselves are best placed to provide details of their condition/s and what they do to monitor and control. Bear in mind the information is confidential and they do not have to provide. I'm type 2 and if you prick my finger I just might sue for assault if I have not given permission. If you do go down that road make sure you have plentiful supply of prickers and sharps container. As I say I am type 2 and never had a problem, I know someone who takes Insulin and does have problems so it it those that you should worry about more. By the way my 10 year old dog was diagnosed diabetes on Friday and we started injecting him today. Poor Scooby .................

A first-aider testing blood glucose (or worse administering insulin!) would be exceeding their remit as a first aider - such actions are not included in any FAW or EFAW training. They would put themselves and their employer in an uncomfortable position if the employee decided to commence a claim Treatment for a hypo (low blood sugar) by giving a sugary drink or helping the employee take Glucogel IS however included within first aid training and would be part of a first-aiders remit. Remember that Glucogel should NOT be squirted into the mouth of an unconscious casualty! (as it may obstruct the airway). IMO - keeping a BG tester is unnecessary. Diabetics would generally be expected to manage their conditions themselves. Risk-assessing all diabetics is over the top and intrusive I feel - how do you prevent someone from skipping a meal?! or not taking their insulin/metformin? What do you do if someone refuses to answer your questions? Providing you have adequate first-aiders in place [to deal with an unlikely hypo] you will be fine. What we do is ask employees to let us know if they have any conditions they may need assistance with (remember they do not have to give this information as Firesafety says). IF they are happy for us to do so, this information is shared with the first aiders at their location. HR ask this during the induction process and keep the employees consent on file (typically just an email). I'm a type 1 diabetic and am on Insulin, I keep a tube of Glucogel on my desk and in my bag/car should I have a hypo. I would be not be happy with one of our first aiders sticking my testing kit into me and would be extremely unhappy if one of them decided to give me some insulin!!

You may well be right, however, I can't help but feel that it is (largely) unnecessary in the vast majority of workplaces. You will find a number of people suffering from diabetes in nearly every workplace, we have a number, there may be some I don't know about and there is likely to be some people who don't know themselves! I can't help but agree with Andy that you may be looking to do something that doesn't really need doing. The vast majority of people with diabetes are able to keep a level of control that shouldn't cause significant concern in the workplace.

Thanks for your replies, much appreciated. I think I am going to go ahead with holding the kit and a stock of gels etc in the FA room. The site is a higher hazard Comah site involved in explosives manufacture and as such employees are limited as to what they can take into the workplace with them.

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You may be better off providing some type of "Movement" alarm, at least that way you will have early alert of a casualty who has collapsed onto the floor.

To add to this - the vast majority of BG testers are not intrinsically safe, either. I'm not aware of any manufacturers whom make them.

Your reasoning makes little sense. The guy/gal has collapsed, so instead of removing that person to a place of safety you prat about in a hazardous area, having a non-medical-professional use equipment he/she has little personal knowledge about, and minimal training in the use of. Presumably the casualty will have minimal consciousness, and in the case of low blood sugar, minimal self control with frequent confusion verging upon extreme non-cooperation. So how are YOU, or your non-medical-professional-first-aid-person, going to treat that-in an area of extreme hazard? I've only known one first-aider who could be trusted to do the RIGHT thing in all my years working, and he is a nurse now. Most first-aiders tend to give themselves airs-and-graces. What is the real agenda you are working towards?

It is of course everyone’s choice of what they chose to do however; in this case I can’t help but feel that the conclusion that it is necessary to provide blood sugar monitoring kit is both poorly conceived and unnecessary. While I didn’t agree with the ‘tone’ of John’s post at #14 (which has been ‘pulled’ but is otherwise still visible at #15!) I can’t help but agree with the general sentiment and the further point that he makes at #20. Likewise I feel that Andy makes a number of valid points in #19. There are countless ‘diabetics’ out there who get about their lives and, perish the thought are allowed out on their own, can drive, travel on the train, go to the pub, fly across the pond, engage in sporting activities etc etc without the need for immediate access to a blood sugar kit. You must do what you feel you need to do, but as someone who has suffered from diabetes for quite some years, even taking into account the specific circumstances of your work situation, I remain to be convinced that you need to go down the route of providing blood sugar monitoring kit, and would have thought that you can adequatelty control the risk (whatever you consider the risk to be) by other means.

My husband is Type 2 diabetic and doesn't need a BG monitor as he is controlled by Metformin and monitored by the doctor's surgery which they feel is enough. We do have a monitor at home so that he can check if certain foods or periods of excess (holidays, etc) have adversely affected his blood sugar levels but this is merely for interest as he is quite new to this whole diabetes "thing" and needs to know what foods, particularly, to avoid. If a diabetic needs a BG monitor on site, they will obtain dispensation to have one at the point of work - this is their perogative and I do not see this as being the role of the first aider or employer. The employer's role is to risk assess and allow this dispensation if required. A Type 1 diabetic will normally be able to tell if their levels are off by experience and take evasionary measures to combat this. I think that a blood glucose monitoring kit is totally unnecessary. In your scenario you would use this on an unconscious person - whichever way you look at this, that unconscious person could sue for assault and I don't think that is a position that either the first aiders or the employer wants to put themselves in. Tread carefully, it's well meant I am sure, but ill advised.

Whilst I applaud the principle of trying to do as much as possible for employees, particularly sick or injured employees, I think you have to decide how far you want to go towards becoming some sort of GP surgery come A&E ward. I am not being facetious, I agree with a lot tof the posts above.