First Aid Kits

First Aid Boxes

There is a British Standard BS 8599 for first-aid kits, it is not a regulatory requirement under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 to purchase kits that comply with this standard although many companies will have you believe it is. Instead, the contents of a first-aid kit are dependent on an employer’s first-aid needs assessment.

This means for employers following a needs assessment the options are:

1. Within your workplace you have access to a first-aid kit whose contents complies with BS 8599 and matches or exceeds the findings from your needs assessment;

or

2. Within your workplace, you have access to a first-aid kit whose contents matches the findings from your needs assessment but does not comply with the requirements of BS 8599.

HSE Guidance