Rank: Forum user 
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hi
i am a newly appointed HSE advisor for a small company who hasnt had one for 2 years and there are lots of gaps to fill. having recently entered HSE i want to make sure i do things correctly. today i updated all the first aid, burns kits and eye wash stations and some items were as old as 2017! lots was removed and replaced. people have been opening kits and taking out plasters etc as and when and not reporting at all. i used small tie wraps to seal the kits and put a date on them. i was told by the workshop supervisor that these tie wraps would be hard to cut if there was a need to open the kits in an emergency. i must mention most of these kits are located in the workshop where there are tonnes of plyers etc and the office area also has scissors readily avaiable. the tie wraps are small and soft not hard to cut. i also handed spare plasters and alcohol wipes to a couple of people.
how do you all seal the kits? should i be leaving them un sealed. i feel thats not the best course of action as reporting is quite poor in this organisation and i cannot spare a half day every month to check each and every item in the kit. i had to spend that much time last month hence came up with this solution that i feel is fair.
on a seperate note does anyone know any charities that accept expired first aid items?
thanks
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Rank: Super forum user
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I too work for a small company. We don't seal the kits. Our first aiders take it in turns to check them weekly. Then, about once every 3 months I do a full check to ensure nothing has been missed. I basically created a spreadsheet with the items we have in stock and the use by dates of those items. That way they just need to check levels. They then have a tick sheet to say that each item is in stock. If you have multiple boxes (we just have one in a first aid room and a few plaster stations dotted around) then just do one for each box/area and again delegate the checking to a responsible person (preferably a trained 1st aider)
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Leave the kits unsealed but be realistic with the equipment - if people regularly take plasters then set up plaster dispensers, stops them rummaging in the kit and in the right location can be a prompt to top-up / investigate Our dispensers at set up at the side of the supervisors work stations
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Rank: Super forum user
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Leave the kits unsealed but be realistic with the equipment - if people regularly take plasters then set up plaster dispensers, stops them rummaging in the kit and in the right location can be a prompt to top-up / investigate Our dispensers at set up at the side of the supervisors work stations
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I've sent a PM with details of the product we use (tamper evident seals) - I've also included details on an app we've developed that allows you inspect the contents/record findings etc in case it is of interest. Works for all workplace equipment (not just first aid kits)
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Rank: Super forum user 
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First aid kits have always been subject to petty pilfering so I would suggest that you just get used to the idea and keep them open for all to use. Yes, plaster dispensers are great and solve a lot of the issues.
That first aid kit might reasonably be expected to save someone's life - I don't think sealing it is a good idea at all.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: Super forum user
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Possibly not as sound as Grim72's app, but we used a spreadsheet for the monthly checks for site wide kits, including the No of items (except plasters), it showed the total No of items per box and the overall total, who checked it etc. New colum for each month and fupdate or refills. The totals and monthly reports side by side allows us to see how many and what has been used to see trends of items and places.
Kits not sealed. Biggest use, non-reported events and regular replacement needs were the eye wash bottles.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Looks like George is using the same tamper seal as I suggested - works well for us. And thanks AcornsConsult - the app does work well but sounds like you have a pretty comprehensive spreadsheet system set up anyway. Let me know if you want to test out the app for free and I'll pm you the details so you can see how it compares.
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Rank: Forum user
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I put a small strip of electrical tape along the join at the top of the first aid box. opens easily and when it is closed the tape ends up inside the box so its obvious that its been opened.
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Rank: Forum user
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Simple breakable tags shouldn't be any problem to snap off, should they? Or if they are, a lot of people are going to struggle with their fire extinguishers. A former employer does something similar with spill kits, and it certainly makes checking the kits easier.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: shaunosborne  Simple breakable tags shouldn't be any problem to snap off, should they? Or if they are, a lot of people are going to struggle with their fire extinguishers.
Some of our first aid kits are designed in a way that will take said tags, but others such as the vehicle kits arent. I adopted the sticker type seal to give a consistent method
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