No matter how safe you may try to be, accidents will always happen. Making sure that your staff is properly prepared to handle an incident is a crucial part of maintaining high safety standards in your kitchen, and living up to your duty as an employer.

So, how should you deploy and stock your first aid box? And what are some useful extras that may be well worth packing?

How should I use my first-aid box?

The 1981 Health and Safety regulations legally require employers to have the ‘adequate and appropriate equipment’ to help provide first-response care for an injured employee. Legally, your first-aid kit should contain what is appropriate for your premises, and this should be determined by a initial risk assessment.

Ideally, a dedicated member of staff should be designated as a trained first-aider. This means that – along with the provision of first aid training – they are responsible for the upkeep of the kit and making sure that used supplies are replaced. Often a defibrillator box is a helpful piece of complementary kit – and while not stipulated by bodies like the HSE – it is a recommended addition that requires additional training in its use.

What am I legally required to have?

Due to regular exposure to cutting utensils, heat, and a demanding work environment, restaurants are conventionally classed as ‘high-risk’ for the purposes of health and safety.  For less than five members of staff, a small kit is suitable, with a medium size kit for up to 25 individuals, and a large size kit for every 25 employees above.

Ideally, every first aid box should contain the following:

• A leaflet or document detailing how to deliver first aid.
• Sterile/latex disposable gloves.
• Large, medium and small-sized sterile dressings.
• Safety pins.
• Sterile eye pads, and eye drops.
• Individual wrapped/sealed plasters.
• Triangular bandages and gauze.
• Miscellaneous materials, including but not limited to: microporous tape, sterile wipes, medical scissors, adhesive tape, antisceptic wipes, a foil blanket, finger dressing, and a resuscitation mask to aid the delivery of CPR.

It is generally not recommended to keep tablets or painkillers within the kit. The location of each kit should be known to a member of staff and be accessible, visible, and have signage pointing out where it is.

What is useful to have?

• Sterile Water: Along with eye drops, sterile water in a sealed container can be used to flush out wounds, and remove any particulate matter before applying a dressing.
• Incident Book: This can be kept alongside the box in your restaurant and allow you to capture details of any incident, including: the date, time, name of the individual, the injuries sustained, any action taken, and records of who was present at the time of the incident. This can also be complemented with a record book detailing when the kit was last checked to make sure none of the items have reached their expiry date.
• Specific Medications: If a member of staff requires emergency medication such as an epi-pen, this can also be stored in the container as a backup.