Workplace First Aid cabinets are a vital part of a thorough safety program. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets several standards for First Aid cabinets in the workplace, and your state may have their own unique requirements as well.
A properly stocked First Aid cabinet has many benefits, from reducing liability to preventing lengthy downtime to improving morale. By maintaining a high level of safety, you can keep your business prepared for anything and reduce unnecessary expenses.
Maintaining a First Aid cabinet, however, can turn into a chore. You must track inventory, replace used and expired products, and ensure you’re keeping up with industry standards. Luckily, a managed First Aid rental program can keep your business supplied with quality safety products.
Keep reading to learn more about why a First Aid cabinet is important, the difference between First Aid kits and First Aid cabinets, the essentials that a good First Aid Cabinet needs, and how a managed First Aid program can eliminate any hassle for your business.
Why Does My Workplace Need a First Aid Cabinet?
First Aid cabinets offer a number of benefits for your business. Depending on your state, industry, and the size of your business, you may be legally required to maintain First Aid supplies and safety stations. OSHA sets different standards for different businesses, and understanding and following these standards can help you maintain compliance and reduce liability for accidents and injuries.
Having an on-site First Aid cabinet can also reduce employee downtime. If an employee needs to visit a pharmacy to pick up over-the-counter medication or an urgent care center to treat a small cut, they must take time away from their work and reduce your business’s productivity. If they can treat these minor issues with a First Aid cabinet in the workplace, however, they can get back to their tasks with minimal downtime.
Clearly marked First Aid cabinets and safety stations also improve employee and customer morale. Workers prefer an environment where they feel safe, and customers and clients appreciate a business that takes safety seriously.
What’s the Difference Between a First Aid Kit and First Aid Cabinet?
Businesses often choose between First Aid kits and First Aid cabinets that comply with industry regulations. Here’s a brief overview of the advantages of each option:
First Aid Kit – First Aid kits are smaller and more mobile than First Aid cabinets. While a commercial First Aid kit should include everything you need, inventory may be tight, and you’ll probably need to replace supplies immediately after they are used. While First Aid kits are easy to move around in the event of an injury, they are also easy to displace and lose.
First Aid Cabinet – First Aid cabinets consolidate all your First Aid supplies in one highly-visible location. They usually have a more comprehensive inventory than First Aid kits, and a managed rental program like Alsco Uniforms can keep them stocked with all the supplies you need. Our First Aid Cabinet also includes mobile grab-and-go emergency modules to treat specific injuries like eye wounds or burns.
Depending on your industry and the size of your business, you may be required to keep a certain number of kits or cabinets in your workspace. A thorough safety program should include clearly marked First Aid supplies at convenient locations that people can access quickly.
What Should My First Aid Cabinet Include?
Choosing First Aid supplies can feel overwhelming, especially with how many different options you can select. You’ll need bandages and gauze to treat wounds, sanitizing products to keep things clean, and different safety tools to keep everyone safe from biohazards. A good workplace First Aid cabinet should include:
Bandages - Bandages come in all shapes and sizes to treat cuts large and small. Make sure you have triangular, butterfly, fingertip/knuckle, and conforming bandages in addition to the classic style. Industries like food processing require special high visibility and waterproof bandages to ensure hygiene.
Wound Treatment – Beyond adhesive bandages, you’ll also want products like gauze pads or compresses, low-adherent pads and dressing, and antibiotic ointments to treat wounds quickly and effectively. Your First Aid supplies should help keep wounds sterile while minimizing bleeding.
Sanitizing Products – An infected wound can turn into a major problem. A First Aid cabinet should include antiseptic and antimicrobial wipes, hand sanitizer, and hard surface wipes to keep hands, injured areas, and nearby surfaces hygienically clean.
Burn Treatment – Gels and dressings that treat burns are an important part of any First Aid cabinet, but they are especially important if you work around fire, high temperatures, or electricity.
Medicine – In the U.S., businesses can keep over-the-counter medicine in single-dose, tamper-evident packaging in their First Aid cabinets. Maintaining a supply of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, cold relief, and antacids can help reduce employee downtime for dealing with minor issues.
Other Supplies – A comprehensive First Aid cabinet should include additional supplies to treat injuries and ensure hygiene like splints, finger cots, tweezers, first aid scissors, eye pads, biohazard bags, fluid solidifiers, CPR masks, and more. These products will ensure you can quickly treat the most common injuries that happen in workplaces.
Grab-and-Go Emergency Modules: A Lifesaving Advantage
Even with all the supplies required to treat common injuries, it can still be difficult to find the products you need to treat a specific issue during an emergency. A cluttered and disorganized First Aid kit can cost valuable time if someone is seriously bleeding or wounded.
Cabinets from Alsco Uniforms include grab-and-go modules designed for specific emergencies. These modules to help you treat serious wounds, bleeding, burns, and more. These modules feature pre-packed supplies tailored to specific injuries, with supplies organized so that the products you need first are at the top.
How a Managed First Aid Program Can Help
A fully stocked First Aid cabinet is essential for any business, but keeping your cabinet up to standards can turn into a major headache. If you manage your own First Aid supplies, you need to purchase more products when they are used, track expiration dates, keep a record of your regular maintenance, replace expired items, and keep everything organized and ready to use.
That’s where a managed First Aid rental program can help. With service from Alsco Uniforms, you’ll get regular visits from a representative to check your First Aid cabinet, replace used and expired products, and keep your business compliant. We’ll handle all the details of your First Aid cabinet, so your business stays safe without any hassle.
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive health and safety solution, we also offer Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and Eyewash Stations. These essential safety supplies can be literally lifesaving, and like First Aid products they may be legally required depending on your industry.
Get Your First Aid Cabinet ASAP
If you’re ready to make your business safer, it’s time to install a managed First Aid cabinet. Alsco Uniforms provides First Aid and safety solutions that help your business stay safe and compliant while removing extra work from your team. We’ll focus on your First Aid cabinet, so you can focus on your business.
Contact us today for a quote on First Aid services.