Age old question, but when looking at the following sections of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981:


Tablets and medication
42 First aid at work does not include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness.
The only exception to this is where aspirin is used as first aid to a casualty with a
suspected heart attack in accordance with currently accepted first-aid practice. It is
recommended that tablets and medicines should not be kept in the first-aid
container.

43 Some workers carry their own medication that has been prescribed by their
doctor (eg an inhaler for asthma). If an individual needs to take their own prescribed
medication, the first-aider’s role is generally limited to helping them do so and
contacting the emergency services, as appropriate.

Would you then apply this to antibacterial creams etc.? Can you then substantiate this with case law or formal notifications from either LAs or HSE?

Andrew

Hello Andrew

I think it will be very unlikely anyone will be able to refer you to case law or LA / HSE interventions - the contents of a first aid kit is unlikely to warrant such effort or expense from the powers-that-be.

As ever, it's down to your RA - first aid assessment of need.

We do not stock antibac cream as we feel it is not appropriate for a first aid situation - washing and covering a wound is all that is required (HRABC or whatever it is these days: stopping the bleeding is the priority before preventing infection).

Always bear in mind this is "first aid", ie initial help to a casualty, not medical treatment.

Ian

Things to bear in mind with creams and the like:

Allergies, Most people are not allergic to antibac creams, antihistamine creams etc. However, what if your person being treated is? Germaline can be an issue with those who suffer penicillin allergies - for example my sisters skin blisters if she comes into contact with it and has scars from childhood from teachers applying it despite her telling them that she is allergic as 'Teacher knows best' cue our very angry parents telling teacher that they do not know best!

Dates: If you are keeping creams then you need to ensure that they are in date.

Cross contamination: Some people apply creams in a variety of ways, putting the cream on fingers / gloved and un gloved, squeezing the tube and rubbing it on the skin or worse the wound - all of which are great ways of spreading infection.

For all of these reasons I would not keep any creams in first aid kits.

Just noticed that at one site someone has sneaked in some Savalon dry antiseptic spray and some savalon first aid wash spray. ( No one knows where they came from !!!).We have the normal first kits in place with a couple of extras

The antiseptic spray seems to be for when you don't have a first aid kit, and The wash seems to be for washing out the wound again with antiseptic properties.

I remembered this thread and from the above you seem to be recommending it is not in there. Not being a first aider myself I not sure what benefit they really have, would you remove these items?

Chris

Jodie

In addition if I had hydrofluoric acid on site I would consider adding the gel to treat this, probably in addition to having this also located at the point where the acid was being used, as speed is essential in the event of skin exposure.

Chris

Yes we also have burns gel and I'm happy enough for this to be in there.

Just could not see the purpose of the other two items above, but someone thought they were useful for some reason.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for adding, I was thinking more for my site its the heat tunnel and hot water that cause the problems and we do the same- where there is a high risk of something we have kits stocked with gels.

Jodie