What’s in Your First Aid Kit?

Does your first aid kit comply with Cal/OSHA requirements? You may be surprised to learn that unless your first aid kit contains an approval note from a "consulting physician", it may be in violation of California law. Legislators are trying to overturn this regulation, however, it stands today and Cal/OSHA has argued that the hazard associated with lack of approval by consulting physicians is that personal medications or unauthorized drugs might be inside a first aid kit.

California employers have recently seen an increase in the number of citations issued by (Cal/OSHA) for just this violation. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3400 (c) states, "There shall be adequate first-aid materials, approved by the consulting physician, readily available for employees on every job." https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3400.html

Good news for employers: Obtaining approval can be as straightforward as sending your consulting physician a letter outlining the contents of your kit and asking the physician to review it and sign for approval. Ever wonder what things are supposed to be in a first aid kit?

ANSI Z308.1-1998 – Minimum requirements for basic workplace first aid kits

•    1 Absorbent compress, 32 sq. in. (81.3 sq. cm.) with no side smaller than 4 inches
•    16 Adhesive bandages, 1 in. x 3 in. (2.5 cm x 7.5 cm)
•    1 Roll of Adhesive tape, 5 yd. (457.2 cm) total
•    10 Antiseptic, 0.5g (0.14 fl oz.) applications
•    6 Burn treatment, 0.5 g (0.14 fl. oz.) applications
•    2 Pair of Medical exam gloves
•    4 Sterile pads, 3 in. x 3 in. (7.5 x 7.5 cm)
•    1 Triangular bandage, 40 in. x 40 in. x 56 in. (101 cmx 101 cm x 142 cm)

TO DO:

1.    Check your first aid kit and make sure it’s up to date and has a physician’s approval.
2.    Make sure your Injury Illness Prevention Policy (IIPP) is also up to date. Effective January 1, 2018, AB 978 requires all employers who receive written requests for a paper or electronic copy of the written injury prevention program from a current employee to comply with the request no later than 10 business days from the date the employer receives the request.

Employers are required to provide a copy of the written injury prevention program free of charge and authorized to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a current employee.  CEA can help with a variety of options for you:

Option 1: Do-It-Yourself. OSHA has developed a free electronic wizard “e-tool” to assist you in developing an IIPP from scratch!
Option 2: For low hazard and small businesses you can download a questionnaire which will assist our Safety Partner in creating a complete IIPP manual for you, with a quick turn around time. Member price: $995, Non Member: $1495.
Option 3: For high hazard and complex IIPP's, we will work with you to develop an IIPP specific to your business. This option includes on site visits and is customized. To get started, please complete this self assessment. Upon completion of the assessment, our safety partner will review the results and provide you with a free consultation and a quote to plan a path to becoming compliant.