Poorly stocked first aid kits are a common problem in workplaces across all industries and continually put employees at risk and mean large numbers of employers are breaking the law, according to a warning from workplace equipment provider Slingsby. 

 
Under The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, employers must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and training so that anyone who has an accident at work can receive immediate help and treatment.
 
First aid kits should be appropriate to the number of employees and suitably stocked depending on specific hazards.  All employers should have at least one trained first aider, although workplaces in high-risk industries and those with large numbers of employees will need considerably more. 
Slingsby supplies 35,000 products at low prices across all industries, including an extensive range of first aid related products, and has recently launched a range of innovative locking and ‘pilfer-proof’ first aid kits that are immediately proving to be a success.

 
Lee Wright, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Slingsby, says: “All employers must have first aid procedures in place and need to make employees aware of these.  Signs should also highlight where first aid kits are stored and who is in charge of administering them. 
 
“As part of these procedures, first aid kits also need to be regularly checked to ensure they are well stocked with items that are in date because they are often forgotten about until the time there’s an accident.  First aid kits missing items, or that contain the wrong things completely, are a major problem across all industries and are something we regularly come across when customers ask for our advice about their first aid requirements.”
 
Lee continues: “To help tackle the problem, we have recently launched a new range of locking first aid kits and a selection of first aid dispenser systems that feature an innovative design that enables plasters to be removed easily, one at a time, and applied with just one hand.  These products are already proving popular and there’s no doubt they can have a positive impact in a huge range of workplaces.”